I Want You To Want Me
by Ramenette
Summary: It was a fatal attraction. I wasn't supposed to like him. He was a friend, not a boyfriend. We shouldn't act the way we do with each other. Sirius Black wasn't boyfriend material at all. SiriusOC
1. A Sucktacular First Day Back

I coughed up floo powder as I stepped out of the Potter's fireplace.

"Sophie's here," I heard Sirius laugh from the next room over.

It was the last week of summer, and I was spending it at my childhood friend, James Potter's, house. His best friend, Sirius Black, was staying over at the same time. I heard footsteps approaching on the floor and was tackled to the ground.

"Love, you're here," Sirius said cheerfully, using the nickname he had given me last year. He was kneeling over my with his signature half smirk, half smile on his face.

"Whoa, Sirius. You're alone with her for two seconds, and you already have her on the floor. You work fast, mate," James snickered, pulling Sirius off of me.

I hugged James tightly, "It was terrible! He ran at me and tackled me. I tried to yell for help, but he wasn't having it."

James rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, Soph, I'll keep you safe."

I laughed, and we set out for the kitchen.

Sirius fell into stride beside me and put his arm around my shoulder, "You know you loved it."

"Of course I did, oh-great-Playboy of Hogwarts," I snorted,

"Try not to get jealous when I work my magic at Hogwarts," Sirius laughed. He kissed my cheek and snatched James' chocolate frog away from him.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Sirius had always flirted with me since first year. I never gave much thought to it since he flirted with basically everything with legs, long hair, and breasts. Snivellus should consider himself lucky to not have breasts. I still don't know what Lily sees in him…

Back to Sirius, though (sorry, I tend to ramble). The flirting had become much more physical. Before, he only snogged his current girlfriend. Now, he'd started to become much more touchy-feely with me. It was extremely awkward.

"Is Evans coming," James asked eagerly.

"'I'd rather marry a mountain troll.' Her exact words," I laughed. Unlike most girls my age, I _never _giggled.

"Move on, mate! Evans is a stick in the mud anyways," Sirius managed to say through a mouth full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"That's my best friend you're talking about," I said somewhat crossly.

"I still don't get how you put up with her. You're way more fun than she is! After all, you _do _let me snog you," Sirius grinned.

I knew I looked affronted, "I do not! You kiss my cheek every now and then, but that's it. I don't kiss anybody but my current boyfriend."

"You and Moony didn't even kiss that much when you two were going out," Sirius argued.

"We were only in our first and second year. Besides, he's shy. He's not like you, who takes every girl he sees into a dark and empty broom closet," I retorted. I was always somewhat protective over Remus. He always seemed to get the short end of the stick in the marauders.

"I don't take _every_ girl. You've never seen a broom closet with me. Unless, of course, you'd _like_ to," Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Pig," I insulted, throwing a handful of Bertie Botts at him.

"You're cleaning that up," James laughed.

"No I'm not. Sirius, clean that up," I ordered.

"Piss off," he replied, nursing a wound from one the Bertie Botts.

"Wimp," I muttered, cleaning up the small mess on James' kitchen floor. His mum was always an impeccable neat freak.

"Yes, love, I'm a complete wimp. Try making everyone believe that," Sirius barked with laughter.

"I will," I pouted.

Sirius stood up and sauntered over to me, kissed my cheek, and muttered, "Have fun with that" before running away.

* * *

The rest of the week passed with nothing unusual happening. Sirius continued to mindlessly tease me, while James attempted to keep us from destroying the house. Oddly enough he was the party pooper for the week.

James' parents had brought James, Sirius, and I to the train station on September first. They went through the barrier with us.

"Boys, be good this year. I'll be having Sophie keep an eye on you," Mrs. Potter winked.

The three of us tried to stifle our laughter, "Honestly, Mum, she's almost as bad as us these days."

Mrs. Potter gasped, "I don't believe it. There's no way you've corrupted Sophie."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mum," James chuckled.

"All three of you, be good. I mean it," Mr. Potter admonished.

"Yes, sir," Sirius said, mock-saluting him. James' father then ruffled his hair (which took him a record hour to do that morning).

When we boarded the train, I immediately set off to look for Lily, Mary, Alice, and Marlene.

"What, Sophie? You're not going to sit with us," Sirius pouted.

I laughed, "I think I've had enough of you two for a while. See you when we get to school."

"Tell Lily I'll be stopping by to visit her," James winked. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I don't think I'd ever see the day when that boy gave up.

Sirius tried to kiss my cheek, but I immediately maneuvered my way out of his reach and set off to find Lily. I love the displays of affection and all, but they were getting old and irritating. Especially since I'd find him snogging some other girl senseless when we got to school.

While walking by a compartment, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into it.

"Thought you would walk right by us," Alice laughed.

I squealed with delight and hugged her. I had only seen her once all summer, and I missed her terribly.

"Lily, I have a message to deliver," I announced.

"I'm sure you do," she muttered with crossed arms.

"James will be stopping by to see you," I laughed, collapsing onto the seat next to her.

I watched her freckled nose wrinkle with disgust. She held more contempt for James than I thought that anyone ever could. It really didn't help that James had been relentlessly pursuing her for a year.

"You'll live, Lily. I promise that I'll try to keep him at bay," I assured her.

"Easy for you to say," Lily groaned.

Luckily for her, James seemed to forget his promise, and we went the whole train ride without dealing with any of the marauders.

We entered the castle as usual: merging our compartment with theirs, jinxing a couple of Slytherins, and sitting down at our table.

"Did you miss me, Lily-kins," James cooed.

"You wish," Lily retorted, coolly taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"How was your summer, Sophie," Remus asked conversationally.

I smiled warmly (I had always had a soft spot for Remus, and truth-be-told despite the fact that we were no longer together I still had a bit of a crush on him), "It was really lovely. I visited my aunt in Paris with my parents and John. She tried to convince me to move out and attend Beauxbatons again. I also spent the last week wit these two gits." I gestured to James and Sirius.

"You _loved_ it," Sirius said with a mouth full of food.

"_You_ enjoyed it more than me," I snorted.

"Very true, my dear," Sirius laughed. I rolled my eyes, and Remus watched us with amusement.

"I never get tired of you two," he chuckled lowly.

"I'm glad you get pleasure out of my pain," I replied flatly.

"Who's messing with my little sister," I heard a familiar voice.

"John," I exclaimed happily.

"Hello, John," James greeted with a grin.

"Sirius is being mean," I pouted.

And James is being annoying," Lily added quickly.

A recognizable spark of some sort of pride appeared in his eyes, but disappeared before he admonished James and Sirius, "Potter, Black, be nice to these ladies. You wouldn't want me to set Susan on you, now would you?"

Both boys gulped; Susan, my brother's girlfriend, had been appointed Head Girl. Therefore she was one of the marauders' worst enemies for the year.

"I thought so," he laughed, and then he took off.

"You're such a _baby_," Sirius said.

"Says the whining boy," I retorted.

He stopped teasing me for the rest of dinner.

* * *

"It feels good to be back," James announced, sitting on the couch and propping his feet on the table.

Peter, who hadn't uttered a word until then, agreed.

I sat on the couch opposite of him in between Lily and Remus. Alice sat on the other side of Lily, so were all squeezed together tightly.

I fought the growing blush that was forming on my cheeks. I hadn't been that close to Remus since we had dated. It was awkward. I felt Remus reposition himself. Now, his arm was slung over my shoulder.

"S-sorry. It's just so we're not all cramped. Do you mind," Remus asked shyly.

I shook my head quickly.

"Look, Prongs, Sophie and Moony are getting a bit cozy over there," Sirius barked with laughter.

"Shut it, Black," Lily commanded.

Mary abruptly stood up, "I'm a bit tired. Goodnight, everybody."

"Bye, Mary,' Alice said. We all bid her goodnight.

"I wonder what's wrong with her. All the color was drained from her face," Lily muttered. I shrugged my shoulder. My shoulder touched Remus' hand, and I fought back another blush.

Alice, sensing my discomfort (I think), get up and took Mary's place.

"Lily, there's more room. You can move down now," Sirius said flatly.

For a second I thought that maybe Sirius was jealous, but I dismissed it the second I saw him eye Marlene hungrily. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and I sighed.

"Here we go again," I whispered to Remus, whose arm was no longer lying limp over my shoulders.

He smiled sadly, as though he understood the irritation and slight sadness in my voice. I heard Marlene giggle and saw her bury her face in the crook of Sirius' neck.

This was going to be a long and painful night.

* * *

Here it is! This is sort of a companion piece to my LilyJames story, Move Along (which you should read). Most of this was written late at night,so please forgive any grammatical errors.

Sophie is a really important character to me, a she represents different parts of me during my life, as well as my friends. I know she may be seen as Mary-Sue-ish to some (as most OCs are), but my goal is to keep her somewhat real. If there are any Oc tendecies in the story, please be sure to let me know.

Sophie and Remus have a bit of a rocky past, so just let me know in your review if you'd like to hear about it. Feel free to PM me with any questions if they're not review related.

**Disclaimer: Jo owns everything you recognize in this story.**


	2. Promptly Ignoring Sirius

"As the lion approaches the gazelle, ready to pounce, the gazelle senses his presence approaching her," Alice whispered with an Australian accent.

I sighed, "You've seen one too many muggle shows on, what's it called again?"

"The Discovery Channel," Alice answered.

"Yeah, that," I said lazily.

We were sitting on the couch with Mary, Peter, Remus, and a very amused Sirius. On the first day of classes we already had essays due. However, watching James try to get a date with Lily proved to be much more amusing.

"She's looking over! Back to your essays," Mary said quickly. We all did as we were told.

In a few seconds I felt added weight on the arm of the couch, and I looked up, astonished, "What in Merlin's name happened to _you_?"

James had a goofy smile on his face, which was a normal occurrence after he talked to Lily. However, his usually messy, black hair was noticeably different. Everyone except Sirius, who insisted on falling off the couch laughing, was trying to hold back their giggles.

James' hair was lime green.

"She touched my head," James said with a dreamy look in his eye.

I was the next to crack, "You're absolutely _insane_. You know that, right?"

"You're just jealous that Lily didn't touch _you're_ head," James retorted with a glare.

Sirius stumbled over and wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling me close to him playfully, "Sorry, mate, but I don't think that Sophie's into Lily that way. That does propose some kinky scenarios, however."

I pushed him away and stood up indignantly, "Pervert. I'm going to dinner now. Lily, are you coming?"

I saw Lily collect her stuff, and we walked through the portrait. On my way out I heard a short conversation between Sirius and Alice.

"Was it something I said?"

"Don't worry, Sirius, she'll get over it. She always does."

* * *

"Do I always forgive him so easily," I sulked, taking a bite of my mashed potatoes.

"Well, kind of. He's never done anything to really make you need to ignore him, but you do forgive him rather quickly," Lily said sympathetically.

"It's just, he's always joking, and I know he never really means it, but he should know that he can't always play with my emotions like that! I'm not just a welcome mat," I resolved, stabbing the potatoes as if they were the cause of my frustration.

"Then don't forgive him this time," Lily said simply.

I stared at her wide eyed with a large grin on my face. It was that simple. _Just ignore him_! But was it that simple; could I just ignore Sirius? He was quite persistent and hated to be ignored. Not to mention the fact that I had very little defense when it came to him.

"I'll try," I said.

"We'll see how long you last," Lily smirked, clearly amused.

"Doing what," Sirius asked, sitting next to me. James sat opposite Lily, Mary sat next to her, Remus sat across from me, Alice sat in between Remus and Frank (a rare site considering that he basically lived in the library), and Peter sat next to James dutifully.

I almost told him, but then I remembered my mission and took a big bite of my terribly abused potatoes.

"Well," Sirius asked expectantly.

Lily laughed, "She's not talking to you. Sophie's under the impression that she takes you back too easily; she's determined to make you work for her forgiveness this time."

James made a face, "Soph, that's stupid. Just forgive him."

I glared at him, "_You're_ stupid, James."

"Very mature of you," Remus said with a slight smile on his face.

"Thank you," I replied.

Sirius just sighed exasperatedly, "What is it going to take for you to forgive me?"

I eyed him warily before returning to my food. I could see him roll his eyes and cross his arms.

"Oh this will be fun. You're really going to have to work for his one, Black," Lily said with an impish smile.

"I really enjoy the irony. Sirius is actually going to have to work for a girl," Alice giggled.

"You know that you're not going to last very long, right," Sirius whispered into my ear.

I tried to keep myself from blushing, "Alice, would you mind trading seats with me?"

"Not at all."

I sat in between Remus and Frank for the rest of dinner.

* * *

"So, about how long do you plan on boycotting Sirius," James asked.

He had this smile on his face. It was the type of smile he usually only had when he was going to pull a prank. Although the self-satisfied smile might have been coming from the strange looks his lime green hair was receiving from first years.

"As long as it takes. I'll know when he's actually sorry," I replied nonchalantly, "By the way, what are you going to do about your hair?"

"I'm not letting anyone who isn't Lily fix it. No one is allowed to touch my hair ever again. So far, no one has," James grinned.

My nose wrinkled, "So you're saying that you haven't washed your hair in five days?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Has it really been five days? That must be why Sirius is going insane. I'm pretty sure that this is the longest time that he's had no contact with you since you two met. He's a mad man, I'm telling you," James exclaimed with mock worry.

"So you two are talking about me? Don't believe a word of what James says. I'm managing perfectly fine without you. C'mon, Prongs, we have a prank to plan. Moony, Wormtail, are you following us?"

I cocked an amused eyebrow. I didn't buy anything that he had told me.

"He's making you a card," I heard Peter whisper as he walked by me. I looked at him, surprised that he would share something like that with me.

The smug grin I was wearing softened. Perhaps I'd be forgiving him sooner than I thought.

* * *

It was twelve at night one week later when the card fell on my lap. It was made out of construction paper and markers. I knew because when I had visited Alice's house over the summer we helped her little brother make pictures with the same materials.

Sirius collapsed next to me looking dead tired and somewhat annoyed, "I made it myself. Remus and Lily said that you'd appreciate it more if I did it instead of buying you a card or just using some spell."

I smiled lightly and opened it. It read (barely legibly):

_Sophie,_

_You know I'm not good with apologies; this is the closest you'll ever get to one from me. I probably shouldn't take advantage of you the way I do. I'll _try _not to do it again. No promises though._

_-Sirius_

Sirius was looking at me expectantly.

I closed the card gently and hugged him, "I forgive you."

He hugged me back for a quick second before breaking the embrace and looking away to try and hide the pink on his cheeks (I didn't take it personally. Sirius is the type of guy who isn't used to that type of touching. It really freaked him out), "Don't mention it, really. It was sort of a last minute thing."

I grinned, "That's not what Peter said. He told me about a week ago that you were making me a card."

He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me as close as he could without placing me on his lap, "I don't enjoy being ignored."

"You're such a baby," I sighed with fake agitation.

He rolled his eyes, "This coming from the girl who decided to ignore me for almost two weeks."

"Shut up," I retorted lamely.

I fought a yawn and rested my head against his shoulder. We fell asleep like that.

* * *

Chapter two is finished!

This one sort of came out of nowhere. I know that it shouldn't take me as long as it did to update. I've been awfully busy with my main story, Move Along, and various other things that I've written. Move Along is almost finished, and as soon as it is, this story will become my main priority. I promise.

Sophie and Sirius have a curious relationship. I'd like to hear your opinions and thoughts about it. As long as you all don't mind that is.

Birthday Count: 7 Days

**EDIT: I've been informed that they didn't have the Discovery Channel in the UK. Well, they did now.**


	3. I Got What I Wanted

"Someone's birthday is in five days," a sing-song voice announced.

I rolled my eyes, and John pulled up a seat next to me, "What are you reading?"

"Some stupid book they gave us to read for History of Magic class. It's really boring," I groaned, putting the book down.

"I remember that one. Binns really is insane, isn't he," John snorted.

"No, he's _senile_," I corrected.

He shrugged, "Same difference, but back to what I was saying earlier. You're going to be another year older in five days. Is there going to be a party?"

"I don't know. The topic of my birthday hasn't really come up yet. You'd have to bring it up with James, Sirius, or Lily," I replied.

"C'mon, Soph, you're friends with the _marauders_. You're going to have a party whether you want it or not. I'm just here to let you know that it's not going to be too wild. After all, I'll be there," John admonished me.

"Whatever you say, captain overprotective," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I mean it. I'm not too worried about Lily, but I'm telling James and Sirius too. No firewhiskey allowed," John said sternly.

I tried not to raise an eyebrow when I saw Sirius sneak up behind John. He didn't do anything to him, but he mocked him. John was attempting to lecture me about something (I assumed it was the party), and all I could do was stifle my giggles. It was easier to pay attention to Sirius, who was making faces and imitating John, than my brother.

"What are you staring at because I know it isn't me," John said, a frown on his face.

I pursed my lips in an attempt to hide my smile and looked the other way.

"Hello, John, my dear friend," Sirius said, wrapping an arm around John's shoulders.

John only raised an eyebrow, and Sirius sat next to me on the couch. He slung an arm around my shoulder, and grinned proudly.

"Play along with it," he whispered to me quickly.

"Johnny boy, you should be happy. Sophie here has a boyfriend, and his name is Sirius Black," Sirius announced.

My eyes widened, and my cheeks heated up. I saw John's mouth open and his eyes widen slightly. I hadn't been expecting Sirius to say something like _that_.

"It's true; happened this morning. Didn't she tell you," Sirius asked, a smug smile on his face.

"No, she didn't, but a bit of wisdom, Soph: you could do so much better," John criticized.

I let out a laugh, "That wouldn't be as funny if we were actually dating."

"You two aren't dating? Oh, thank Merlin. I almost had a heart attack," John sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you're so supportive. It's always nice to have fans," Sirius said dryly.

"Aww, kid. You know I like you, but stay away from my sister," John warned before leaving.

I snorted, "Wow, Sirius, he sure told you."

"I'm shaking in sheer terror. Anyways, I came to talk to you, not that torturing your brother wasn't fun and all," Sirius barked with laughter.

"Yeah, yeah. What do you want?"

"Well, Sophie my dear, you happen to be the closest girl to the marauders, and that means that we're throwing you an extravagant birthday party. You don't need to worry about it; we'll plan everything. You just need to show up and look pretty, which won't take much effort on your part," Sirius explained.

"How sweet. Now what do you want in return," I asked expectantly.

"Wow, you're _good_. I just need your cooperation when I ask for it. No questions."

"I don't even _want_ the party, so why should I owe you any favors," I demanded.

"Because you love me," Sirius suggested, attempting to use puppy dog eyes.

"I do love you," I said, trying not to turning pink, "but I'm only helping you when I find out why you need me."

Sirius sighed and fell against the back of the couch, "You really _are_ no fun. I swear it's because you hang out with Evans too much. I miss the old Sophie."

"Too bad; I like the new Sophie better," I argued.

"Maybe, but you used to be so much more fun. Hah, did you know that I used to fancy you in second year? It's a good thing I never did anything about it. You know, since you were secretly dating Moony and everything," he said.

I blinked, "You _fancied _me in second year?"

"Crazy, huh? Well, I have to take my leave, my dear. Parties don't plan themselves you know," Sirius said, winking cheekily.

"Bye."

I sat there for a few moments, utterly dazed. Sirius Black _fancied _me in second year? It seemed almost impossible. Then, I would've wished he didn't', but now I sort of wished he did.

But what had changed about me since then? There was only one real difference; I didn't play quidditch anymore. Did that really make that big of a difference? Apparently it did, but I wasn't about to pick up a broom for Sirius Black. Besides, there weren't any open positions on the team.

* * *

"Do you have any idea what's going on," Alice asked me.

"No. Why do you," I asked hopefully.

"Nope. I was hoping that you did. They won't let me help. James told me that I'd 'take the party too far'. Since when was I so over-the-top," she snorted.

I cracked and grin and laughed, "No comment."

She glared at me before throwing a pillow.

"The party starts in an hour," I sighed. It was in the common room, and if you were a Gryffindor, you were invited. I still had to get ready, and so did Alice.

"What are you going to wear," I asked.

Alice hopped out of her bed and skipped to her closet, "I'm not entirely sure yet, but I know what you're wearing. I got the dress a while ago, but it doesn't look to good on me. I'm a bit to pale, but you have a lot more color in your skin. It'll look nice with the gold. We're the same size, right?"

I nodded, "I'm kind of scared of the dress already."

Alice rolled her eyes and continued looking for it. I'd like to say that my breath stopped when she pulled it out. That my heart sped up, and I knew that I would like radiant in it, but none of that happened. It was a nice dress, really it was.

It was a halter dress that fell just above my knees. It was a pretty maroon-y color with gold specs thrown in. It was really nice, but nothing special.

So, Alice forced me to wear it (I hate dresses), and then she tried forced me into wearing a death trap of a pair of shoes. I pleasantly decline (I hit her in her head a few times) and decided to wear black flats. My hair wasn't anything special either, just extra curly.

When I looked into the mirror, I figured that I looked good. I wasn't going for anything too fancy.

Alice looked really nice. She was wearing a pretty green dress, silver heels, and her hair matched my own.

Lily walked through the door, "Oh, good, you two are ready. You can come downstairs now."

I'd be lying if I said that my heart wasn't beating when I walked down the stairs. I did love attention, but it was uncomfortable to have every Gryffindor staring at me.

Fortunately, no one was really staring at the staircase in anticipation. Until James decided to be obnoxious, that is.

"EVERYBODY, LOOK! IT'S THE BIRTHDAY GIRL," he shouted from somewhere I couldn't see.

Suddenly everyone's attention turned towards me. Alice seemed to sense my discomfort. She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs as quickly as she could.

"You look too grown up; go change," John said, frowning.

"I do _not_. You're just upset because I _am _grown up," I retorted.

He patted my head, "Trust me, you're not grown up. You have a long way to go."

I looked at the drink in his hand, "What happened to no firewhiskey?"

"I'm seventeen you're not."

"Just for that, I'm going to get some," I smirked.

It was hard to make my way through the crowd. There were people there ranging from John's girlfriend, Penny, to some of the first years I saw get sorted on the first. I didn't even talk to most of them.

"Sophie!"

I turned around and collided with Remus, "Crap. I'm sorry, Remus."

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have sneaked up on you like that. Anyways, I just wanted to say happy birthday. I haven't seen you all day," Remus said.

"Thanks. Wait- don't take off. I don't even know half of these people. Help me find James or Sirius. I _need_ firewhiskey," I explained.

"I'm not helping you get trashed."

"It's not to get trashed. I just want to piss off John. Pleeeeeease," I pleaded.

"Fine, but I'm not staying around to watch you get drunk," Remus sighed, "You're a really flirty drunk, and I'm not going to be toyed with."

I smiled lightly as we navigated through the crowd, "Oh please, you know you like it."

"Maybe three or four years ago," he laughed.

"Three or four years ago I wouldn't even _need_ firewhiskey," I said.

"Hey! Watch it- Oh, Sophie! There you are. I've been looking for you," Sirius said as he bumped into me.

"Found him; I'm out of here. Don't see me unless you're sober, if you don't mind," Remus said. Then, he disappeared into the crowd.

I could smell the firewhiskey in Sirius' breath. He wasn't even close to being drunk, but I knew he was on his way.

"Give me your glass," I demanded.

He smirked, "Sorry, birthday girl, but I don't think so. I'm under strict orders from your brother. No firewhiskey for little Sophie."

I groaned, "Come _on, _Sirius. Just one glass. That's all I'm asking."

"Well, since you're being so nice about it, no," Sirius snickered.

"Damnit. Why do you have to be so difficult?"

"The same reason you have to be so stubborn," he replied.

I bit my lip and snatched the glass from his hand and gulped it down. I shoved the glass back at him.

"There."

Sirius grinned, "Now, there's the Sophie I missed. It's good to have you back. Now that you've proven yourself, the rest of it is over at the table."

"You're an awfully bad influence, you know," I said.

"If you cared that much, you would've stopped talking to me years ago," Sirius snorted.

"Stuff it, Black," I said before walking away.

* * *

When everyone sang me happy birthday, my head was throbbing in pain. I had had too much firewhiskey. Sirius claimed that I drank James under the table, but he was just as trashed as me, so I can't really back up anything he said.

The cake was huge, but it had to be. After all, every Gryffindor was at the party.

"C'mon, Soph, hurry up and cut a piece. I'm starving," Maureen whined.

I wrinkled my brow, trying to focus on the cake. There seemed to be two knives and four cakes. I felt someone approach me from behind and place their hand over mine, helping me cut the cake.

"I told you not to get drunk," Remus admonished.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"All right, first piece goes to the birthday girl," Sirius yelled out, handing a piece to me, "The rest of you have to fend for yourselves."

He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me away from the mob. It was a smart thing, too, considering that they attacked the cake like angry trolls. It was ridiculously entertaining and sort of sad at the same time.

"I think Moony might be the only sober person here," Sirius observed.

"You're forgetting about," I paused to hiccup, "Lily and the first and second years."

"Please, Lily isn't that innocent, and neither are the little ones. I saw some first year boy sneak off with a bottle," Sirius laughed.

I sat down to keep from swaying. I had almost fallen over several times. It occurred to me that Remus might've been right; I probably shouldn't have gotten drunk.

Sirius hopped the couch and sat next to me, "Hey, you haven't even taken a bite out of your cake yet. The house elves worked hard on that."

I rolled my eyes and smiled lightly, "I can't zone in on it. I seem to have three forks."

"Here, let me see," Sirius said, taking the plate and fork away from me, "You really can't hold your alcohol."

"I'd be throwing up if I couldn't hold my alcohol, smarty. Are you going to eat my cake or something," I asked skeptically.

He bit his bottom lip, "No, I'm going to feed it to you. You're too drunk to feed yourself. You'd probably stab yourself with the fork; besides, I don't want you dying of starvation."

"Well, in that case…" I opened my mouth, ready for a bite.

It didn't occur to me that this was the type of stuff that couples did together. Most likely because we were both drunk out of our minds. Remus was right, I was a flirty drunk.

The first time he tried to feed me, he missed. He stabbed me in the nose and frosting was covering the tip of it.

"And you said I was too drunk to feed myself."

"Shut up."

The second time, he didn't miss, but he still managed to coat my lips with frosting.

"You have something on your nose," Sirius pointed out.

I rolled my eyes, "Really? I hadn't noticed. It's your fault, though."

"Fine, I'll clean it then."

And then he did something I wasn't expecting at all. He kissed the tip of my nose. I blinked in surprise. I could feel my cheeks burning from the kiss and the closeness of our faces.

"Wha- what was that," I stuttered, confusing evident in my voice.

Before I could say anything, he kissed me again. This time on the mouth. I pulled away in shock.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," I yelled.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "You had frosting on you; I told you I'd clean it. Besides, I didn't have any napkins. You tasted sweet, if that helps."

"It doesn't help," I said pointedly before standing up.

"I don't know why you're so pissed off. It was just a kiss. Not even a kiss; just a peck between two friends."

I glowered at him, "You're impossible, Sirius Black."

"That's why you love me," he said smugly.

"I beg to differ. At the moment, I'm feeling no emotion for you except anger."

"That's what you _want_ me to think," he grinned.

I glared at him (again), "Talk to me when you're sober." And then I took the cake and smashed it in his face. Happy birthday Sophie, you got what you wanted.

Sirius Black.

* * *

Too many drunken people in this chapter. Except Remus, my perfect little angel. You'll see presents next chapter. It didn't feel right to add them in this chapter with everything that's going on already.

Sorry for the wait, but I'm still focusing on Move Along. It only has about three chapters left, so frequent updates on this will be coming soon. I'm also making a play list for this story, so if you have any suggestions, let me know.


	4. The Day After

"It's pretty. Thanks," I said, closing the jewelry box and placing it with the other gifts.

It was a nice bracelet with a phoenix charm. Nothing too extravagant, but not too boring. It was a nice gift really.

James shrugged, "I guess. My mom picked it out. You know I'm no good with that type of stuff."

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "You're not supposed to tell me that."

"Oh. I meant that I spent two hours at Hogsmeade trying to pick it out. Had a terribly hard time finding you the perfect gift."

"Nice cover-up," I laughed.

We sat in silence for a while before I glanced over at the pile of presents next to me. I had only gotten them this morning because last night's party was hardly the place to open them. Something would've gotten ruined, and then I would've had to hex someone.

Not fun.

"So, I saw what happened with Sirius," James grinned, "He's not doing too good of a job staying on your good side this year, is he?"

"We were both pissing drunk. I just blame the firewhiskey for everything happened," I replied with a small shrug.

"So you're not mad at all," James asked incredulously.

"Not at all. Why?"

James snorted with laughter and ran a hand through his hair, "No reason. I just had Sirius convinced that you hate him as much as you hate Snivellus this morning."

"You bloody wanker! I was all worked up, ready to make another card. I'll get you for that, Prongs," Sirius vowed as he took a seat next to James at the breakfast table.

I know that I wasn't mad at Sirius, but sitting across from him at the table was still undeniably awkward. It felt like one of us should say something. I was about to when a large stack of books slammed down.

"I have to read _all _of these. Every last bloody one," Lily groaned, falling into her seat.

"You're fault, Evans You should try not overachieving so much. It works for the rest of us," Sirius suggested, speaking with a mouth full of toast.

"Stuff it, Black. No one asked for your opinion," Lily retorted with an icy glare.

"Aw, now, Evans, be nice. You might hurt Padfoot's feelings. He's a very sensitive boy," James admonished.

"You two are a real piece of work," I said, trying to fight the smile from my face.

"We try."

The rest of breakfast went as such: Sirius would say something, Lily would yell, James would try escalate the fight, and I would have to play peacemaker. Believe it or not, that was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever done.

* * *

"There's a Hogsmeade visit coming up," Sirius said as we were walking back to the common room from the potions dungeon.

Slughorn had kept as after for talking. There was a twenty minute lecture of how we should follow Lily and Remus' examples and pay more attention to our studies than the notes we were passing.

Of course it all went in one ear and out the other.

I just nodded my head in reply to Sirius' comment. It wasn't something I didn't already know.

"Are you going with anyone," he asked nonchalantly.

I raised an eyebrow and stared at him, "Not that I know of. I figured that we were all going in a big group life we always do."

He nodded his head briefly, "Good. Just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to sneak off. You've been kind of distant from us lately. You know, the guys and me. Today in potions class was the first time that we've had a real conversation in a while."

"Just a bit busy I guess. Being friends with Alice can do that to you. Especially when she fancies someone new. Not that I can tell you who it is, though," I teased with a grin.

Sirius just grinned and continued walking. I knew that he didn't much care who Alice fancied. He could easily find out if he wanted; I just like to tease him.

"When we go to Hogsmeade, do you think that we could sneak off for a bit by ourselves? I need help with something, and, honestly, you're the only one I trust," Sirius said, turning away. I could tell that he was making a face, otherwise he would've faced me.

"All right. Can I ask what you need my help with," I replied.

He just grinned in turn, "You'll find out when we go. Thanks a lot though."

"Yeah. No problem."

* * *

Boring chapter of faaaaaail. It's short, but I promise to make up for it in the next one. Ignore this one if you want. It's just to set everything up for the next chapter. What do you _think _is going to happen? Just curious.


	5. Sarah Summers

It was a surprisingly chilly the day of the Hogsmeade trip.

We had all ventured to the town in our usual group consisting of Lily, Alice, Marlene, Mary, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, the always quiet Frank, and myself. While walking, I could see Sirius out of the corner of my eye. He was thinking hard about something (which was a pleasant surprise).

Suddenly, Peter perked up and turned his attention to Honeydukes.

"James, can we go in? _Please_," he begged.

I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face as he attempted to sway James, who was dead set on going to Zonko's, to have us all visit Honeydukes.

"I don't know… Zonko's is having this huge sale on Dungbombs, and I really want to get there before they're all sold out," James whined.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Merlin, Potter! Let the boy have his fun. You're so selfish."

James wrinkled his nose and looked at Peter before running a hand through his hair, "Fine, but it's only just this once. You're lucky Evans was here."

Peter's eyes lit up and he dashed into the sweet shop. The rest of us followed behind him, and I felt myself fall to the back of the group in step with Sirius. Everyone else was already inside of the shop when I was about to ask him what was wrong, but he grabbed my wrist and dragged me away.

"All right. So you agreed on helping me with this, but that also means that you're not allowed to tell anyone. Prongs and the others would never let me live it down," Sirius said, cringing at the thought.

I raised an eyebrow and tried to think of what could be so important and humiliating. Sirius was the type of person who had no shame whatsoever. For him to keep something such a secret was just bizarre.

"Fine. I won't tell, but are you at least going to let me know what's going on here," I asked, leaning against the wall of some store.

"All right, but you _swear_ you won't tell-"

"_Merlin_, Sirius! Just tell me what's going on before I leave," I exclaimed, no completely annoyed.

"All right, all right! I need help pickingoutabirthdaypresentforagirlinRavenclaw," he mumbled much too fast.

I bit back laughter. Even though he had said it faster than I thought was humanly possible, I understood the gist of it. He needed help picking out a present for a girl. This was blackmailing _gold_.

"What's her name," I questioned.

It later occurred to me that if I hadn't been so amused by the entire situation, I would've been insanely jealous of the Ravenclaw Sirius was so smitten with.

"Sarah. Sarah Summers," Sirius replied, trying to avoid my gaze.

I nodded my head stiffly, "The Ravenclaw seeker? I know just what to get her."

Sirius brightened up and he sent me a thousand-watt smile, "Really? Sophie, love, you're a life saver!"

I resisted the on-coming snort, "Don't mention it."

"We're not allowed to mention it, remember," he asked, feigning a serious face.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot," I replied, rolling my eyes.

He cracked a wide grin that I had never seen, and I knew that he was thinking about Sarah.

We weaved our way through the thick crowds on the way to the Quidditch shop. I felt a fond smile slip onto my face as we entered the store. I was always a die-hard fan, and I used to play before my grades slipped, and my parents made me quit.

It felt nice to be surrounded by brooms, snitches, quaffles, and even the bludgers. I laughed a snitch buzzed by my head and flew into Sirius' face. I heard a giggle the same time I laughed and turned my head.

There, standing with two of her friends, was Sarah Summers in all of her blonde haired, green eyed glory. My eyes widened and I grabbed Sirius and pulled him behind a bookshelf.

I threw a copy of _Quidditch through the Ages _at him and told him to hide his face while I browsed through various magazines.

"Soph, I know that you don't want anything happening to my perfect face and all, but I'm ready for the bloody snitch if it wants to go for another round. I don't need to hide behind a book," he complained.

I scowled, "I'm not trying to save you from the snitch, you prat! If you look over near the brooms, you'll see Sarah Summers."

Sirius bit his lip and tried to maintain a straight face as he leafed through the pages, "She didn't see me, did she?"

"Well, I'm not sure if she knew it was you, but she did see the snitch attack you. But she saw me, and I'm sure that she'll be able to piece two and two together."

He groaned, "How embarrassing! This type of stuff happens to Moony and Wormtail, not me."

"Karma," I teased in a sing-song voice.

"Hey, you kids, no reading unless you buy it! Now, put those back and get out if you're not buying anything," the clerk yelled, walking over to us.

Sirius cursed under his breath, and we put them down.

"Sorry, sir," Sirius apologized.

The owner's eyebrow twitched, "I'm a lady."

My eyes widened and I violently resisted laughing like I had never laughed. I felt sort of bad for Sirius as he stood there like a deer caught in headlights. I sighed. Might as well rescue him.

"Sorry, miss, he's just been jinxed my some Slytherin prat. He probably thinks you're someone else. In fact, he's under the impression that I'm Albus Dumbledore."

Sirius decided to play along, "Professor, when will we get back to school? I don't like being surrounded by all of these Inferi."

She stared skeptically before nodding sternly and walking away.

My held in laughter erupted as soon as she was out of earshot, "You're such a ponce! Not that I can blame you, though, she did look a bit manly."

"Let' just get Sarah's present and leave. I'm terrified that she's going to eat me or something. I'm sure that I taste quite yummy," he laughed.

"You're so conceited, but, anyways, follow me. I saw her glancing over the jewelry over here. Jewelry is always a good choice for a girl," I advised.

"Okay, I'll add that to the notes I've been taking," he deadpanned.

"Do you want my help or not," I demanded.

He nodded quickly and followed me quietly. When we reached the counter, a silver necklace with a snitch pendant caught my eye.

"That one," I mumbled, pointing at it.

Sirius gave it a quick glanced before agreeing, "It's very lovely. Are you sure?"

I nodded.

"All right, that's the one then, but how am I going to fit it to her neck- Wait a second. You two are about the same size. I'm sure that if it fits you, it'll fit her. Will you try it on for me," Sirius asked.

"All right," I said reluctantly. I didn't want to be trying on any jewelry that was meant for Sarah Summers.

"Sir, can she try this on please," Sirius requested, indicating the silver snitch necklace.

I bit my lip as the man behind the counter recovered the necklace and gently handed it over to Sirius. Sirius nodded his head for me to come over. My feet carried me over even though I was silently begging myself not to move.

He walked behind me, "Can you pull your hair up for a second?"

I nodded dumbly and lifted the mess of curls up from my neck. His hand worked around my neck as he attempted the clasp the necklace. My breathing hitched as I felt his breath against my neck. We were so close.

Sirius managed to clasp it and I turned around.

"Perfect," he muttered, a small smile on his face.

I absentmindedly toyed with the small snitch resting on my chest.

"It looks lovely on you. You have a wonderful boyfriend; would you like to wear it out of the store," the man (I'm only assuming; you can never tell in this store) asked.

I felt my cheeks turn rosy and Sirius managed to say "She's not my girlfriend, just a close friend. It's for another girl; Sophie is just helping me out here."

I nodded to add confirmation.

He chuckled softly as Sirius handed him the money, "Whatever you two say. Here's the box. Just remember to put the necklace back in there."

I nodded again (it seemed to be all I could do that day) as I undid the clasp and gently placed Sarah's gift into the box. The heat from my cheeks began to die down, and we rushed out of the shop as soon as we could. We tried to sneak back down to Honeydukes, hoping that they were still there.

I heard a distant "There they are!" and we both froze in our spots.

They weren't at Honeydukes anymore.

"Where _were_ you two? We've been looking everywhere," Alice exclaimed.

"We were just walking," I replied hastily.

James raised an eyebrow, "What's that, Padfoot?"

Sirius maintained his cool and handed the box over to me before anyone noticed, "What are you talking about, Prongs?"

"Nothing," James mumbled as he stared at where the box previously was.

"Come on! I want to get to Zonko's before everything is sold out! We're running low on supplies," Sirius exclaimed, running off in the direction of Zonko's.

Everyone (except James) groaned and followed him. Lily looked at me skeptically out of the corner of her eye.

"What," I asked sheepishly.

She shook her head and tried to smile reassuringly, "Nothing."

* * *

All done. I like this chapter quite a bit. The necklace is really pretty I my head. I have another version of the scene where Sirius puts the necklace on her, but I decided that it was way too fluffy. I don't do super fluff.

Sorry, Pro Shoe Tiers, you were wrong. I lied to you in my review reply. As always, please review!

Also, if you can guess how I made up Sarah's name, you get a cookie. Hint: A TV show involving vampires


	6. The Breakup

The look on Sirius' face was uncharacteristically serious. His mouth was in a straight line, and he was attempting to keep the laughter he was holding inside from reaching his eyes.

I couldn't take him seriously.

"We can't see each other anymore," he said solemnly.

I snorted, "You make it sound like we're breaking up or something."

"But we are! We can't hang around each other. Apparently, people, namely Sarah, are under the impression that we have this secret affair going on. She took the necklace, but she doesn't want to date me. I blame you," Sirius huffed.

"Oh it's my fault, is it? I picked out the necklace, but your ego is so big that you probably forgot," I argued.

"No, Soph, you're not getting the point. I'm just saying that we should take some time apart from each other- just until I can prove to Sarah that we're not secretly snogging in a broom closet," he tried to reason.

I couldn't keep from rolling my eyes. He was being such a prat.

"Fine. We'll take some 'time off from each other', but _I_ decide when _I_ want to talk to you again. You can't tell me what to do, Sirius Black," I retaliated.

He groaned and fell back down on the bench. I stared at him expectantly for a while before I realized that he had nothing to say. I crossed my arms and stalked out of the courtyard and into the castle.

When I reached the Gryffindor common room, Remus looked at me funny, "What's wrong with you?"

I scowled, "That idiot, Sirius Black. He thinks the way to win Sarah Summers' heart is to prove to her that we're not anything more than friends. He's proving this by breaking up our friendship. We're not on speaking terms anymore. I'll be staying as far away from him as possible."

"He's an idiot, but we all pretty much know that. He'll realize what he's done soon enough; don't worry," Remus sighed.

I pulled a James and ran a hand through my hair, "Well, I'm picking when we're friends again. He's not getting away with this with just a smile and hug."

"I'm proud of you, Soph."

I glanced in his direction quickly, and I swore I saw a flash of pride in Remus' eyes before he turned his attention back to his copy of the Daily Prophet. It sort of made me proud of myself.

* * *

The next day in potions, I just walked breezed by the table I usually sat at with Sirius. He looked almost surprised, but if we were ignoring one another, we were _really _going to ignore one another. I decided to sit with James.

"What a pleasant surprise," he greeted as I sat down.

"Oh, I'm just bundles of joy these days," I said sarcastically.

"Don't let Padfoot get to you. It's just his hormones acting up," James frowned, "He'll finally get Sarah, and then you guys will be good again."

Halfway into the lesson that I was surprisingly enjoying, James smirked and nudged me.

"See that Ravenclaw with the blonde hair over there?"

I looked over discreetly and nodded.

He cracked a grin, "He's been staring at you with love-struck eyes all lesson. It's been quite amusing to watch; you're completely oblivious."

"Well, apparently I quite like potions. I've never noticed because Sirius is usually doing something to distract me," I shrugged.

Ten minutes later, James grinned again.

"He's staring at me again, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Will you feel better if I talk to him after class?"

James nodded and finished and continued mixing our potion.

I angled my head oddly to get a good look at him. He was tall and had really blonde hair. I couldn't see his eyes since he was looking down, but I would've guessed that they were blue. Most blondes had blue eyes.

Class had finally finished, and the Ravenclaw boy had rushed out of the room. Typical Ravenclaw over-achiever.

"Do you know his name," I asked James.

He shook his head, "I've no idea. The only person who would know would probably be Padfoot. Good luck with that."

And he abandoned me.

I cursed him under my breath as I made my way over to Sirius.

"Honestly, Soph, I knew you would crack before I would, but I thought that you would last longer than that. Sorry, but-"

"Shut up. I'm not here about that. Do you know that blonde Ravenclaw boy who sits two tables down from me," I asked.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "Keith Williams. Why?"

"None of your business. Now, I have to be on my way. I have a certain Keith Williams to find," I said curtly with a slight smirk.

I bounced out of the room, quite happy with myself. I knew that I wouldn't be able to find Keith before the next class started, but Sirius didn't know that. I'd have a chat with Keith either at lunch or dinner. Maybe even between classes if I could catch him.

* * *

I ended up spotting him right after dinner.

"Keith, right," I asked him even though I knew that was his name.

He nodded, "You don't need to tell me your name- everyone knows you."

"My reputation precedes me," I mumbled, "Well, I was just wondering why you were staring at me during potions. James pointed it out to me."

I had to keep from laughing at the way he so obviously became nervous. He lost color and even bit his lip. It was kind of endearing.

"Oh, Merlin, they're not going to do anything to me, are they," he exclaimed.

"No way. I was just wondering," I giggled.

That's probably when my brain stopped. I giggled. I _never_ giggle. I was never the giggling type of girl. Marlene did that sort of stuff- not me.

"Oh, well, I just never really got a good look at you. You usually sat with Sirius Black," I cringed at the use of his name, "I thought you were cute."

I couldn't keep from grinning, and it felt good. It was my first real grin in a while.

"Thanks."

"I should probably get going now. See you around," he asked hopefully.

"Library tomorrow at seven- be there. And if you even think about standing me up, remember that I have a seventh year, Gryffindor brother," I replied.

He chuckled, "I'll remember that. Bye, Sophie."

"Bye, Keith."

I watched him climb the stairs in a dubious sort of state. I had inadvertently made a date with some over achieving boy who was checking me out in potions class. And he made me giggle, a feat hat no one had ever accomplished until that point.

"Why are you grinning," John asked me.

I turned and saw him walk through the Great Hall entrance.

"I have a date for tomorrow," I answered.

"Nice to see you back in the dating game. It's been a while for you," John commented.

I raised an eyebrow, "I could take that as encouragement or an insult, but I'm particularly happy at the moment, so you're getting off lucky."

He nodded bemusedly, "Threaten him for me?"

"Already did."

"That's my girl," he grinned.

* * *

"So he's ignoring you for Sarah Summers? She's not even that great," Keith frowned.

His nose was wrinkled in the most adorable way.

I shrugged, "Yeah, well, I don't even really care anymore. He's probably just trying to get a good snog out of her anyway."

"Greta Ricci told me that she snores really loudly at night," he said, grinning wildly.

"You should tell Greta to invest in a silence charm. I know loads of people who could help her with that, but then again, she's a Ravenclaw. I'm sure she knows one already," I laughed.

Keith's smile faltered for a minute, and he grabbed my hand, "Sirius should wise up. He doesn't know what he's missing out on."

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as I diverted from his eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even like him that way."

"I've known you for about a day, and I can see that you're pretty crazy about him," Keith sighed.

"Well, if it helps, you do a pretty good job with keeping my mind off of him," I grinned.

"I'm glad," Keith said, smiling shyly.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a long time, just holding hands, until we were disturbed by an annoyingly familiar voice.

"Sophie, I need to talk to you," Sirius said, grabbing my hand away from Keith.

He dragged me behind the nearest bookcase.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing, Sirius," I snarled.

"What are you doing on a date with Keith Williams? He's a Ravenclaw, not your type at all," he admonished.

"Sarah is a Ravenclaw too. That's not your usual type," I pointed out.

"Soph, _girl_ is my type, but don't try twisting this on me! I'm just trying to help you. You shouldn't date someone like Williams. He's a goody-good. You'll get bored with him. You need to be with someone way more exciting," he explained.

"First of all, you're a pig. Secondly, shove off! Don't give me advice I didn't ask for. You have no idea what my type of guy is. If I needed to date someone exciting, don't you think that I would've dated you or James by now," I retorted.

"Don't fight me on this. I'm just looking out for you; you know I only have your best interests at heart."

"Well, next time, don't talk to me when we're avoiding each other. It'll look bad in front of Sarah," I said icily.

I could've sworn I heard him mutter "I don't care" before he took off.

"Listen, Keith, I like you. A lot, but I like him more," I said sadly as I sat back down.

He nodded in reply, "I know."

"I don't want to hurt you, but I'm not in the best position to be dating again right now," I explained.

"Can I still try to win you over," he asked.

I smiled lightly, "Go for it."

"Thanks for listening to me. I know it's not easy to listen to me babble about my problems," I apologized.

"It wasn't too bad," he chuckled.

"Well, still, thanks," I said.

And I kissed his cheek gently. It felt good to have someone else on my side.

* * *

Sirius is such a jerk sometimes… I like Keith a lot. Don't expect him to go anywhere anytime soon. I could've put Remus in Keith's spot, but I don't think that I could hurt Remus like that. He always gets screwed over in Sirius/OC stories.

Sarah's name comes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Congrats to those of you who figured it out.


	7. A Chapter Full Of Dirty Looks And Glares

I was alone at the breakfast table that morning. I had barely gotten any sleep the night before, so, at five thirty in the morning, I just decided to wait it out. As soon as the Great Hall was open for breakfast, I was out of the girls' dormitory.

I was sitting by myself, nibbling on a buttered piece of toast. There were only a few students eating: myself, a couple of first year Hufflepuffs, one of the Slytherin prefects, and some Ravenclaw.

"_There _you are! I've been looking for you _everywhere_," James sighed, sitting across from me. I couldn't help but snicker at his appearance. His face was red, and he was clearly out of breath.

"I've been here since it opened. I couldn't get a wink of sleep last night," I replied.

He nodded slowly, his breath finally catching up with him. He grinned mischievously before speaking, "Guess what I found out."

"What did you find out," I asked, raising an eyebrow. Normally, I wouldn't give two sickles about what James knew, but there was something different about him this time.

He reached for a piece of bacon, "Oh, nothing really. Just that Sarah gave in. She's dating Sirius, and she believes that he really loves her."

"Wait- are you serious? She thinks he _loves_ her? Sure, he _likes_ her, but he doesn't love her at all. Sirius loves pulling pranks, he loves annoying Snivellus, but he doesn't love his girlfriends," I protested with a laugh.

James smiled bemusedly, "You make him sound gay, but, you're right at any rate. She's another notch under his belt. He doesn't see it that way, but he never does."

I nodded in agreement. "Why did you want to tell me so bad?"

He sort of shrugged and stuffed his mouth with remaining pieces of bacon. I cringed at the sight of bacon crumbs staining his face, and pieces of the bacon that didn't fit were sticking out of his mouth. It would've been funny if it wasn't so gross.

"Just thought I'd let you know. Sirius will probably want to be friends again," James replied after managing to swallow the remaining pieces.

"First of all, you're disgusting. Secondly, I'll talk to Sirius when I want to. I won't forgive him so quickly," I said.

James only rolled his eyes, "We've been over this already. We know you can stand your ground, Soph, but don't be stubborn about this. Everyone knows that you guys miss each other; just talk to him when he tries."

"You're a prat, James." I pretended to sound angry, but I was more annoyed. He could always read my emotions so well.

"Yeah, yeah. I get this kind of treatment for trying to be a helpful friend. I think I deserve better," he sniffed, pretending to be offended.

"I'm not setting you up with Lily. She'll never go for it," I said firmly, knowing full well where he was trying to lead the conversation.

His eyes widened behind his glasses, and he ruffled his hair for no reason other than out of habit. His attention was now caught again. "Who said anything about Evans? I don't know what you're talking about. You're going mad, Sophie."

"Am not. Everyone knows you fancy Lily. Get over it."

"I know, but why won't she say yes? I'm a great guy, aren't I," James pleaded. I was almost afraid to respond.

"Mostly, but I know she doesn't appreciate you picking on Snivellus all the time. She's awfully close to him. I'll never know why," I sighed in exasperation.

"No one will," he grumbled.

I glanced at the table and noticed that several plates had re-filled themselves. I had stopped eating, and I knew it was all James' doing.

"You're eating away your problems. Go play Quidditch or something and work it all off," I instructed.

"Are you calling me _fat_," he exclaimed.

"No, but I will be if you keep eating as much as you just did," I warned.

James looked at his stomach quickly and placed a hand over it. He then stared longingly at a plate of eggs before standing up and leaving the hall.

I sighed, "I've known him my whole life, and I still don't understand him."

* * *

I couldn't stop smiling. The entire situation was just too funny. I was sitting outside with Keith under a tree, and we weren't talking about anything in particular. Then Sirius showed up with Remus, sitting only a few yards away.

Every time I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye, Sirius would be staring at us disgustedly, trying to make me go see him and Remus.

"If he wants to talk to you, he should just come over and talk," Keith stated the obvious.

I rolled my eyes, "He won't. You're here, and we both know how he feels about us being friends."

"He should grow a pair."

I snorted with laughter. That thought of Sirius not exactly being a man was hilarious. I wasn't sure if he heard what Keith had said, but he threw a dirty look over at us.

"I have to go study for a test in the library. You're more than welcome to join me," Keith said as he stood up.

I hoped to my feet a stretched, "I'm okay. I think I'll pay Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black a visit. At least before Sirius has an aneurysm."

He chuckled and hugged me quickly. The notion was strange. No one except John ever hugged me. Sure, Sirius and James occasionally slung an arm around my shoulder, and I hugged Remus, Lily, Mary, Marlene, and Alice goodbye when the term was over, but no one ever really hugged me.

It felt nice.

My attention turned to Remus and Sirius. Remus smiled at me and waved me over. Sirius only looked indignantly in the other direction, probably afraid that I caught him. I'd pretend I hadn't seen him for the sake of his dignity.

"Hello, boys," I greeted. I had flopped in between them on my stomach.

"Hey, Sophie."

"Where'd Keith go," Sirius grumbled.

I had to hold back the laughter, "The library. But it's okay; it's been a while since I've spent time with either of you."

There was no way I would've been talking to Sirius if I hadn't seen him sulking. But it was nice to be able to talk to him again. James was right- I did miss him.

"Well, Moony barely has time for anyone these days," Sirius snickered. I knew what he was talking about right away.

"You're already studying for your OWLs, aren't you," I demanded.

"I have to! My grades have to stay up," Remus replied.

"You're such an over-achiever," I sighed, rolling my eyes in a fake teasing way.

Then, remembering that he was dating Sarah now, I turned my attention to Sirius. He looked much happier now that I was with him and Remus and not with Keith.

"So how are things going with your love, Sarah," I asked, trying to stifle the giggles threatening to erupt.

The look on his ace when I said that was priceless to say the least. His nose wrinkled, and his brow furrowed. Sirius looked revolted.

"Don't call her that," he protested.

I bit lip to hide my smile, "Why not? She's telling everyone that you love her. It's not nice to make your girlfriend look like a liar, Sirius."

"How can I love her? I like her, but how could I fall in love with someone I've been dating for barely two days," Sirius exclaimed.

"Ask her. She's on her way over," Remus suggested, nodding his head in the direction of the approaching blonde.

I buried my face in Remus' arm for a couple of reasons: besides Sirius, he was the closest person to me at the moment, Sarah wasn't my biggest fan, and I had to hide my laugh. When Sirius saw her coming over, he looked like he'd like to be anywhere but here.

"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere," Sarah exclaimed, collapsing in between Sirius and me.

I looked up from Remus' arm. It would've been rude not to. We looked each other for a moment. Her green eyes scanned me for any signs that my smile was fake (which it wasn't, for the record).

"Sophie! It's been a while."

Now, the art of not liking someone is complicated when you're a girl. If you're a boy who doesn't like someone, you can simply avoid them. Or beat them up. It's expected when you're a boy.

But if you're a girl, like Sarah and I, you had to dislike each other in the privacy of your friends. You can't just duel each other like boys. The fighting, which consisted of dirty looks, spreading lies, and criticizing each other's every move, had to be sneaky.

"Yeah, I haven't been around much. Just busy with other things," I shrugged. It was always good to act like you didn't care the other person was around.

I wasn't sure if Remus could feel the tension; he was smiling like nothing was wrong. But Sirius could feel it. He looked absolutely nervous (and that was almost better than the secret fight with Sarah).

Alice skipped over to us with Frank in toe, "James was looking for you three! It's lucky you're all together. He wants to meet you three up in the common room. He said something about explosions."

Sirius' face lit up in recognition, and Remus groaned. I was assuming I was the third person Alice was talking about. Sarah couldn't exactly come up to the common room.

"Sirius, you aren't really going to do another prank are you," Sarah asked.

"Yeah, that's sort of what we do. We're the marauders. And Sophie when we need help," Sirius retorted.

She shot me a dirty look. I smiled sweetly and looked to Alice. But she and Frank had left. I was on my own again. Wonderful.

"We should go," Remus suggested. I was sure he had sensed the tension now.

He and Sirius hopped up from their spots. I was about to get up when I saw an offered hand. It was Sirius. It was out of habit. Back when we weren't fighting every other week, he had a habit of being very nice to me.

I didn't even want to look at Sarah's face when he helped me up. I'd either not be able to hold back my laughter, or fear for my life when I went to bed that night.

Sirius must've realized what he'd done and immediately helped Sarah up after me. We glanced at each other out of the corner of our eyes. Her expression was incredibly easy to read. I could see it in her eyes.

This meant war.

* * *

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, jealousy is an ugly thing.

This chapter took about three days to write; I was avoiding it like the plague. I don't even know why. Spy Kids (one of my favorite movies _ever_) was on while I was writing this, and it probably wouldn't even have gotten finished if I hadn't made a deal with solitaireclay07 (everyone go read everything she's ever written) for us both to finish our chapters.

Now that this chapter is finished, I'm going to go finish watching Spy Kids! Don't complain about typos; I'll fix them later. I don't want to look at another Word Document for a while.

Oh, and a little random piece of trivia that I remembered, did you know Sophie originally had blonde hair? It was the color of Holly Madison's hair. Just something I remembered…


	8. Welcome Back!

"What took you guys so long? I've been waiting forever," James exclaimed from his spot on the couch. He looked terribly excited. Loads of pieces of parchment were laid out on the table. I could only assume they contained plans for the latest prank.

"Alice must've gotten lost trying to find us," Remus shrugged. He was indifferent about being involved; he was a prefect after all.

"Yeah, yeah, well- Hey! Give those to me," James yelled, snatching the plans from Sirius.

Sirius only blinked in reply, "Merlin, Prongs, calm down. It's just a prank."

"Are you mad? This isn't _just _a prank; this will be our first prank since we've been back! This will be the first thing we pull off since last year. It has to go perfectly," James retorted, somewhat offended by Sirius' nonchalant attitude.

"Well, how bad is it going to be? Sarah will kill me if it's bad," Sirius said, trying to avoid eye contact with James.

The room became quiet, and the atmosphere seemed to change. Remus' eyebrows flew up, and he tried to look anywhere but at James and Sirius. James had a murderous look in his eyes, and I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut.

"_What did you just say?_ Keeping your marauder honor is more important than a pretty face and nice pair of legs. I ought to kill you for that," James admonished.

"But-"

"Shut up and be a man, Sirius. Having us all mad at you is worse than having Sarah mad at you," I argued.

He stared at me for a moment, surprised that I actually said something, "You guys are right. I don't know what I was thinking."

James beamed. "That's more like it, Padfoot! Now, we just have to wait for Wormtail. As soon as he get's here, we'll get down to business."

* * *

It was the morning off the plan. The five of us (with the additions of Lily, Mary, Marlene, Alice, and Frank) were sitting at the Gryffindor table, conversing normally. James even continued his daily routine of asking Lily out. Anyone watching us wouldn't know that we had planted fireworks under the teachers' table only a day ago.

"I think it's time," James announced. He, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and I sported identical grins.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about, Potter?"

"Oh, Evans, you'll see. Trust me," James replied, basking in Lily's attention.

Lily tensed up and stared at me expectantly. I only grinned sheepishly at her. Lily had a way of making me feel terrible by only giving what me, what Alice christened, "the look". At that moment, I felt like I had been caught kicking a puppy.

"Because you almost chickened out on us, I say that you have to set them off," James said to Sirius firmly.

"All right, Prongs. Peter, count me down," Sirius said, grinning broadly.

Peter looked up from his plate looking surprised that he had been addressed. "Okay.

Five"

Lily looked at me in disappointment.

"Four."

James tousled his hair with his hand and grinned like I had never seen him grin.

"Three."

Remus filled his mouth with eggs and tried to look as innocent as he could.

"Two."

I took a deep breath and hoped that we wouldn't get into _too _much trouble.

"One."

Sirius pointed his wand at the head table and muttered, "Incendio."

Almost immediately after Sirius cast the spell, there was a deafening boom. The head table flew into the air for a good ten seconds before returning to the ground. All of the food spilt on either the floor or the teachers. Oddly enough, not one spec of food seemed to fall on Dumbledore. All different colors of light exploded in the air, creating a beautiful illusion.

It was amazing.

James hopped up to stand on the table. Using a spell, he made his voice louder, "That was an official welcome back to Hogwarts from the marauders!"

There was a pause, and then all of the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, most of the Ravenclaws, and even some Slytherins erupted in applause. James bowed dramatically before hopping off the table and retaking his seat.

"That went well," I said cheerfully.

"They love us! They really, really love us," James said, grinning like an idiot.

"Of course they do; we're the marauders," Peter squeaked.

"And we can't forget that our little Sophie helped! We wouldn't have been able to get the fireworks the stick under the table without her," Sirius said, draping an arm around my shoulders.

I grinned. I was pretty sure that Sarah would be looking over. She knew that was the prank we were planning. She had to have seen Sirius put his arm around me.

John ambled over and decided to sit in between me and Sirius. "Well, you guys are certainly starting off with a bang. I approve."

"Thank you, John," James said.

"Too bad you're about to get your punishment," he snickered, nodding in the direction of the head table. Dumbledore was taking his place at his podium.

"James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sophie Coil, I'd like to see you all in my office," Dumbledore announced, not sounding too angry. He almost seemed slightly amused.

"Well, that would be our cue. We'll let you all know what happens when we get back," Sirius said.

"_If_ we get back," Remus added.

I rolled my eyes, "Honestly, Remus, you make it sound like Dumbledore is going to kill us."

He shook his head and muttered, "You never know…"

* * *

"Very creative. I don't think you have come up with anything like that before," Dumbledore complimented.

We all looked at each other in confusion. We were lined up in front of Dumbledore's desk, awaiting our punishment. None of us were expecting to hear praise for the stunt we pulled.

"S-sorry," James asked, both of his eyebrows raised.

"I was just admiring your work before I have to administer your punishment. Yes, Mr. Lupin, punishment," Dumbledore announced, taking note of the surprised look on Remus' face. I think that he was half-expecting to get off easy for being a prefect. That was clearly not the case.

"Would any of you care to tell me how you managed to pull this off?"

Sirius lifted his finger, as if to educate Dumbledore, "Ah, but if we told you, Professor, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, and where's the beauty in that?"

"Ms. Coil, are you all right? You seem a bit pale and have kept quiet the entire time."

"Yeah, normally, she can't shut up," James snickered.

"Shut up, Potter," I hissed uncharacteristically.

"Now, you two, save the animosity for the Quidditch season. It's at its best when you use it against your rivals. But I'm afraid that I'll have to give you all two weeks detention for your little 'show'. The teachers you're serving your time with will notify you."

The five of us shared a collective sigh.

"If you hurry, the five of you may be able to make it to your first class on time," Dumbledore advised.

"Yes, sir, we'll be on our way," Remus spoke up. He ushered the rest of out of Dumbledore's office and into the corridor. I didn't have any intentions on going to Transfiguration, and I could tell James, Sirius, and Peter didn't either. I also had a strange feeling that Dumbledore may have known, but it wouldn't surprise me. The man seemed to know everything.

"Well, I don't know about you all, but we have the most convenient opportunity to skip class, and I'm not going to Transfiguration," James stated, grinning.

"My sentiments _exactly_, Prongs," Sirius agreed.

Remus twitched an eyebrow in annoyance, "Honestly, you two. We're already in enough trouble _without_ skipping class. Peter, Sophie, will you two be joining me in class?"

Peter coughed and I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly, "Well, about that, Remus… You see, we'll never really have an opportunity like this again, so, I think I'm going to take it."

"Me too. Sorry, Moony," Peter said with an apologetic smile.

"Well, I'm very disappointed with all of you."

"Aww, Moony, don't be such a party pooper! Carpe diem, mate," Sirius said, slapping Remus on the back.

"Killjoy," James chimed in, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"I'm already in more trouble than I should be. I'll be in Transfiguration with or without you all. If you'll excuse me, I have class to attend," Remus said strictly. He was so calm; it was terrifying- almost terrifying enough to make me follow him as he walked down the corridor, _almost_.

"That got us nowhere. But on the bright side, we have time to plan our next masterpiece! To the common room," James asked, bright eyed at the idea of a new prank.

"I think I'll pass," I denied, grinning sheepishly.

"And I very well can't let a young girl like Sophie to wander around the corridors of this big, scary castle all by herself! That would be s ungentlemanly of me," Sirius added, bowing dramatically.

"Because you were already so chivalrous," James deadpanned.

"I resent that!"

"Well, never mind the two of you. Peter, you're coming with me. There are plans to be made!"

I couldn't help but laugh at James as he dragged Peter away. I knew Peter didn't want to go, but he was terrified of telling James no. He was under the impression that if he told someone no, then they would no longer be his friend. Peter was an odd boy…

"It's just the two of us then, Soph. And you know what? I'll give you the privilege of choosing our activity for the next hour!"

I shrugged, "I dunno. You pick something."

Sirius grinned devilishly. "Well, if you insist…"

* * *

"This, my dear Sophie, appears to be an ugly witch statue to the untrained eye. But even the untrained eye could uncover her secrets, given they have the right…_supplies_," Sirius explained, pointing at the statue.

I crossed my arms against the chest. "And these supplies would be?"

"Well, it's more like one supply. See this piece of parchment here? Well, get a load of this."

Sirius pointed his wand at the blank parchment, muttered something, retracted his wand, and just grinned. I raised an expectant eyebrow. He just grinned, and then nodded back to the parchment.

It was suddenly flooding with ink. Sirius opened it and a map of Hogwarts appeared from seemingly no where.

"Did you make that," I questioned.

"Of course. Well, Moony mostly made it, but Prongs, Wormtail, and I provided all of the information. Especially the secret passages. This one here happens to lead right into the Honeydukes cellar. Convenient, isn't it," he asked, grinning his usual grin.

"Very. And this explains a lot. Now I know how you all have been able to pull half of your tricks off."

"Now, Sophie, remember, it is a privilege to posses the Marauder's Map. We use this only for our benefit, and no one is to know of it, Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Privilege, not a right. Now, can we go to Honeydukes? I'm starving," I whined.

"But you just had breakfast!"

"I know, but I have a bottomless pit for a stomach. Fast metabolism, remember?"

Sirius glared at me, "I hate you. Some of us actually have to work off the food we eat."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "I feel terrible for you, but, right now, I'm starving. Honeydukes?"

He sighed. "All right. Let's go."

"You are the best! You know that right?"

"So I've been told, but you could stand to mention it a few more times."

I smiled lightly. "Will do. But until them you're the best."

And I really meant it.

* * *

Well isn't that lovely? A nice moment between Sirius and Sophie! Even some witty James and Sirius banter. I always appreciate that. I debated making this chapter longer with myself, but I decided against it. I didn't want to make it _too_ long. Although, if you guys don't mind long chapters, feel free to let me know.

I don't have too much commentary about this, so I'm just going to edit it and return to watching the 90's Superman cartoon. I'm not a Superman fan (Batman rules), but I always appreciate a bit of Supergirl. She's Superman's perfect sidekick, and I enjoy watching the Man of Steel squirm.


	9. What an Idiot

My eyes wandered around the girls' dormitory, trying to look anywhere but at the irate red head in front of me. Her face was so red that I almost matched her hair and I was certain that Lily wanted to strangle me.

"Tell me you're joking. Please, Sophie, tell me you didn't really cut class to go to Hogsmeade with _Sirius Black_," Lily pleaded.

I offered a halfhearted smile. "I'm not supposed to lie."

Lily groaned and collapsed backwards on her bed. We were the only two upstairs.

"You that you're making it awfully hard for me not to give you a detention, right?"

I look down at my hands with guilt. "Yeah, I know, but I still appreciate it."

"Why did you even want to skip?"

She looked up at the same time I did and we locked eyes. I hadn't told anyone about my feelings for Sirius; although Remus seemed to have figured it out all by himself (I also suspected Lily was on her way as well). In that second it seemed like Lily finally figured it out and understood everything.

"That's a stupid reason," she muttered, hopping off of her bed. She headed down to the common room without another words.

I fell against my bed in a similar manner to Lily's and groaned. I buried my face in the pillow and let out a couple of muffle screams of frustration. I knew Lily wasn't really mad, but she was frustrated all the same.

I felt sorry for the next person to set off her temper.

* * *

I bounced down the stairs an hour later, certain that everyone would still be at dinner and I would have the common room all to myself for some relaxation. As usual, I was wrong.

"James, what are you doing," I sighed exasperatedly. His back was turned to me and he seemed to be trying to cast a spell on his face.

At the sound of my voice he almost fell off of his spot on the table. "Sophie! Err, hold on one second."

He pointed his wand at his face (which I still couldn't see) and tried what I think was a counter curse. I sighed and leaned against the wall.

"What did you do to yourself, James?"

"I didn't do it! I swear. I sort of just chose the wrong time to mess with Evans…and, well, see for yourself."

James turned around and I tried my best not to laugh. I ultimately failed, but you would've done the same thing in my situation. Because I had gotten Lily royally ticked off, James had gotten his face re-arranged.

Literally.

James' face was completely upside down. His mouth was where his forehead was supposed to be, and his forehead took the former place of his mouth. Even his chin was at the top of his head. I was certain that his neck was itchy from his hair, too.

"What did you _say_ to her," I exclaimed through my laughter.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," his mouth spoke from the top of his head, "She sort of just snapped today."

"Hmm… I wonder why," I said innocently.

"What did you do to piss her off," James deadpanned.

I bit my lip. "Sorry, but I just can't take your seriously with your head like that. We need to fix it."

His eyes widened, making him look terrified. "Don't even think of coming at me with your wand. I'd sooner be stuck like this forever."

"You're such a baby, Potter. I wasn't even going to try fixing it by myself. We'll get Lily to fix it," I said brightly.

"Oh no we won't. I'm not going to let everyone at Hogwarts see me like this. Can't we just go to The Infirmary instead," James begged.

"Like I said before, you're such a baby. Come on," I sighed, nodding my head towards the door.

"Wait- someone might see me in the halls. Can I at least get my invisibility cloak?"

I grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the common room. "Not a chance. Let's just hurry up before dinner is over and everyone _does_ see you."

"Good point."

* * *

"You must've done something terrible to get Miss Evans so upset with you Mr. Potter. She's a clever girl; you should do best not to get on her bad side again. She may not be so merciful next time," the nurse admonished.

James hopped off of his bed with his face back to its former glory.

"I'm going to miss that look," I sighed overdramatically.

"You're the only one."

"No, I'm sure Lily will too."

He made a face and rolled his eyes at me. As I opened my mouth to speak, I was cut off by the doors slamming open. A large group of people I recognized mobbed into the room, two of them severely injured.

I felt my mouth drop open as I saw Remus and Peter drag Sirius in. He was almost entirely bloody and unconscious. Snape was dragged by Avery. He was in a better state than Sirius. My body tensed.

Bellatrix, Mulciber, Regulus, a bunch of Slytherin I didn't know, Mary, Alice, Frank, Alice, and even Lily all tried to squeeze through the door at once. They all stopped in their tracks when James spoke up as the nurse rushed Sirius and Snape to beds.

"Did Snape do that to Sirius," James roared.

Bellatrix burst into shrieks of laughter. "Is Potter upset that his mate got beat by Severus? Well, get used to it, Potter. This will start becoming an ordinary thing."

"Shut your trap before I hex you," I snarled, stepping forward next to James.

"Don't start something you can't finish, Coil!"

I reached for my wand. "Just watch me."

"That's enough from _all _of you," a voice announced from the doorway. We all froze in our places, knowing without looking that Dumbledore was standing in the doorway.

He strode into the room. "There's no need for more fights today. The previous one between Mr. Black and Mr. Snape were enough. Now either stay and get along or leave."

Bellatrix glared at me before marching out of the room, the rest of the Slytherin filing after her.

"Mr. Potter, would you mind informing Mr. Black and Mr. Snape that they'll have to serve detention in one week when they come to," Dumbledore requested on his way out of the room.

"No, sir."

I felt Lily eye me carefully, knowing the thoughts that were racing around my head. She knew just how worried and frantic I was feeling.

"You got your head fixed, Potter," Lily noticed.

"I wouldn't have had to if you had just said yes to the date," James retorted. She only rolled her eyes and ambled over to the seat next to Snape's bed. I tried not to let out a snort. I would never fully understand why she was still friends with him.

"Of course you're here for that blood purist and not one of your fellow Gryffindor," James muttered under his breath. I saw Lily tense before deciding to let the comment slip.

I stood awkwardly between them before making my way to the seat next to Sirius' bed. "What happened?"

"Sirius started it… He saw Snape walking down the hallway with his Slytherin lot and couldn't help himself. When was he ever one to spare Slytherin of an insult? Things just got out of hand… There was almost a full out battle between all of us," Alice replied hesitantly.

My breath hitched in my throat before I calmed down. I looked at him, knocked out on the bed and couldn't help but sigh.

Why was he such an idiot?

* * *

I am so sorry for the wait. I got caught up in being high school for the first time. I had a chapter written, but when I went back to read it, I thought it was complete crap. Then I got writer's block and only fixed it tonight. Initially, this chapter was about their Hogsmeade visit and the detention, but I like this much better. I'll try to make the next chapter extra long. It should be a continuation of this one and the detention.

I'll try to get it up as soon as I can. Promise.


	10. You Got A Friend In Me

"_You've got troubles, well I've got 'em too  
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you  
We stick together and we see it through  
You've got a friend in me  
You've got a friend in me"  
_You Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman (from Toy Story)

* * *

That night I stayed in the Infirmary even though I was advised not to. James and I sat in chairs next to Sirius's bed. James was fast asleep in his, his arms lying limply off the chair and his head rolled to the side. His mouth was open and drool threatened to spill out of the corner. I would've laughed if I wasn't afraid of waking up Sirius. He was really beat up and deserved the rest.

The only light in the room was from a rather large window with no curtain. Moonlight pooled in from it, vaguely illuminating the dreary room. I could see Snape's body under the covers of his bed. He was rising and falling lightly, his breathing even. I almost felt sorry for him upon spotting the empty seat next to his bed.

It was to be expected though. He was a Slytherin. There was no way anyone in his house cared enough to stay at his bedside and wait for him to wake up. It was times like those that I was glad I was in Gryffindor. We were always there for one another.

There was a large creaking noise, and I slumped down in my chair, closed my eyes, and pretended to be asleep. I heard footsteps and opened my eye a bit, just enough to see who walked by. I caught a flash of bright red hair and new immediately that Lily had entered. She strode right by Sirius' bed without even giving it a glance in the oh-so-Lily-like way. She halted when she reached Snapes' bed.

Lily shuffled to his bedside and pulled a folded card out of her robe pocket and left it on the table. She stared at him for a minute or so before deciding to take her leave.

"Get better soon, Sev," she whispered before walking quietly out of the Infirmary. The door slammed upon her exit, probably harder than she expected. It echoed in the basically empty room.

I sat up in the seat, uncomfortable slouching down. I cast a glance James' way and felt sympathetic for him, knowing he'd be extremely sore the next morning. I heard Sirius' covers rustle slightly. My head snapped in his direction. Sirius began to rise in his bed. It seemed like he was struggling.

I leaned forward in my chair. "Don't overwork yourself. Or at least let me help you."

His head snapped towards me and he looked overly alarmed. "Don't _do_ that, Sophie. You scared me half to death."

"Logically, you should be dead. You know, since you came here half dead. Snape really did a number on you," I said.

"Yeah, well, he caught me off guard. If I had seen it coming-"

"You started it, Sirius. Lily already told me what happened."

"Evans never knows when or how to keep her mouth shut," Sirius mumbled to himself.

I smile lightly. "Well, at least you're better now. You weren't allowed to be treated until you woke up."

Sirius cast a glance in Snapes' direction. "Has Snivellus woken up yet?"

I shook my head.

"Good. He may have put me in a worse condition, but I recovered first. That just goes to prove that I'm better than him."

I smiled knowingly at Sirius' need to keep his ego larger than it should be. It was nice to see he recovered so well.

"What'd Prongs do to himself?"

I laughed lightly. "He fell asleep. He didn't mean to, and he told me that he wasn't going to sleep until you woke up, but obviously that didn't work. I, however, managed to accomplish what he couldn't."

Sirius glared at me. "You mean you haven't slept at all since last night?"

"Nope."

"Blimey! How are you still functioning properly? I'd be dead on my feet, or probably asleep like James. Go to sleep for Merlin's sake," Sirius admonished.

"I'm not even sleepy anymore. Well, a little bit I guess, but I can' go to sleep," I replied.

Sirius sighed exasperatedly and fell against his pillow. "You're a piece of work, Coil."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Well, you give the rest of us enough trouble. I give you a taste of your own medicine."

Sirius laughed. "You'd never be able to cause as much trouble as me, Sophie. You're too nice and sweet."

I tried not to turn pink enough for him to notice. "I'm not sure if I should count that as a compliment or an insult."

He flashed one his grins at me. "It's a compliment."

There was an awkward moment of silence between the two of us. Then Sirius spoke.

"Hey, Soph?"

"Yeah?"

"It's really nice having you around. You're like me, but nicer and not as crazy… And prettier," he laughed.

My breath caught in my throat, even though I knew he was only teasing me. It still felt nice to hear it from him.

"I should hope I'm prettier than you. I am a girl after all."

"Yes, you're the stunningly pretty girl and I'm the ravishingly handsome boy."

We both laughed and the tension seemed to just vanish. It was comfortable again, like it was back when I didn't fancy Sirius so much. We were just two friends laughing at each other in the Hospital Wing, and that was all I wanted.

* * *

I didn't realize that I had fallen asleep until I was being shaken like a rag doll by Alice. I bolted up and looked around the room groggily. Everything was a little blurry, but I could that I wasn't in the Hospital Wing anymore.

"You're finally awake! I was worried that you were dead or something," Alice exclaimed, grinning wildly in the way only Alice could.

"Why am I not still in the Infirmary," I questioned.

"Oh, well when James woke up, you and Sirius were both dead asleep. James said you look uncomfortable and felt bad, so he carried you up here. He couldn't take you to our dormitory for obvious reasons, so he just left you here on the couch," Alice explained.

I nodded, feeling instantly guilty about not waking James up the night before when he looked uncomfortable in the chair.

"Do you know how Sirius is doing?"

"Mary told me that he was allowed to leave already. He got fixed up as soon as he woke up, and they just let him go. I expect he's having some fun before detention."

"Detention?"

"Yeah, you all have detention from that prank. Did you forget," Alice asked.

"Completely," I muttered.

"Well you might want to get changed. You look awful, no offense," Alice said with a sympathetic smile.

I nodded and headed upstairs to get changed into one of my other uniforms. I ran into Peter when I arrived back in the Common Room.

"Sophie, I've been looking for you," he said.

I raised my eyebrows. Peter never took the initiative to talk to me; I always figured I scared him or something. "Well, here I am."

"I talked to McGonagall. James has detention with Slughorn, Remus and I have detention in the astronomy tower, and you and Sirius are in one of those empty classrooms with a handful of other students. Some prefect is overseeing your's," Peter told me.

I nodded. "Thanks. Do you know which classroom it is?"

"No. Sirius told me he knew though, so you might want to find him."

"All right, thanks."

I took off and began my search for Sirius. I knew exactly where to find him. He was where he spent almost all his free time, in the courtyard. I was, however, surprised to see him with Sarah. They seemed to be having a contest of 'who can devour the other's face faster'.

I skipped over happily with a fake smile, ready to play nice with Sarah Summers.

"I hope I'm not breaking anything up."

Sarah opened her mouth, but Sirius beat her to it. "Only a little bit, nothing we can't finish later."

I smiled. "Okay. Peter told me that we have to go the empty classroom, but he didn't say which one."

"I know where it is. It's probably close to the time, so we can just head over now. It might be easier. See you, Sarah," Sirius said. He leaned over and pecked Sarah on the lips.

I could see the gloating in her eyes, but after the bonding time I had with Sirius last night, I didn't really care. I was still happy just having him as my friend.

* * *

We seemed to be the last two to arrive. Everyone else was sitting down, and the only available seats were in the corner up in front. Right near the prefect in charge. We sat down miserably and kept quiet.

"Now that Mr. Black and Ms. Coil have graced us with their presence, I'll start roll call. The other prefect should be here shortly," she said.

The prefect was a short, pretty girl who exuded leadership and a don't-mess-with-me attitude from every pore. She had blonde hair wound tightly in curls that stopped an inch below her chin. Her eyes were light brown. I had the inkling that if Sirius wasn't dating Sarah, and we weren't in detention, he'd be chatting her up.

Sirius and I were called right after Andrea Adams. It was one of those constants. When our year was called in alphabetical order Andrea Adams was always called first, then Sirius, then me. Life just worked out that way.

The door creaked open and someone, I assumed them to be late prefect, strode in. They brushed by me and started talking to the short girl. There was something vaguely familiar about him.

He turned around and I immediately recognized him. It was Keith.

The girl finished role call and then she introduced herself. "My name is Ainsley Cook, and this is Keith Williams. If there are any questions, just ask one of us."

Keith didn't seem to notice Sirius or me until he started scanning the crowd. As soon as he spotted me, he brightened up a bit and offered a smile. I returned it with one of my own. I saw Sirius scowl out of the corner of my eye.

"Why do you like him so much," Sirius whispered to me.

"Why do you hate him so much," I retorted.

"Because he's annoying. He's that typical, perfect type of boy. No personality. I wonder why girls even like that type of guy."

I smiled bemusedly. "I'm pretty sure that you've had more girlfriends in one year than Keith has had in his entire Hogwarts experience."

"That's not the point. I just hate perfect people. That's why I hang out with Prongs. He's probably the furthest thing from perfect," Sirius joked.

"Well, I wouldn't be talking if I were you," I teased.

"That hurts, Soph," Sirius fake pouted.

"Black! Coil! Stop talking. This is a silent detention," Ainsley hissed.

I flashed her a bit of a dirty look. Keith laughed.

"Play nice now, Sophie. I wouldn't get Ainsley mad if I were you," Keith warned, "She's scary."

I giggled and started looking out the window. There were people just lounging outside. I wanted to join them so badly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sirius pull a piece of parchment, a quill, and ink out of his bag. I smirked slightly.

Sirius was starting to become antsy.

"What are you drawing," I asked, peeking over his arm.

"A person."

"Well, aren't you specific? Fine, I'll just wait until you're done," I pouted, slumping in my chair with my arms folded.

A couple of minutes later Sirius slid the parchment in my direction. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Who is that," I asked.

"Well, it's for Prongs. I dunno why I thought of drawing it, but it sort of just popped in my head," Sirius said, shrugging.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling too much. "I don't think he'll appreciate your humor as much as I do."

"Yeah, well, he better hand it in the dormitory."

I glanced at the parchment again, choking back laughter. I was staring at a picture of my best friend, Lily Evans. Except she looked infinitely more flirty than she did in real life. Her hair was tousled and framing her face. She was winking and blowing kisses repetitively like a muggle cartoon. Lily would castrate Sirius if she ever saw it.

"I like it," I said.

"I'm glad I have your approval."

I nodded. "As Lily's best friend, I have authority over all things Lily Evans."

"Of course," Sirius replied.

"No talking," Keith said from his seat. He was working on homework.

Sirius scowled. "He just doesn't want you talking to any other guys. I bet he'll turn into your stalker. One day you'll look over your shoulder and he'll be following you. Then you'll come running to me, apologizing, and I'll just say I told you so."

"Have you been taking Divination again," I teased.

"Maybe."

We fell into silence and remained that way for the rest of detention. Ainsley and Keith seemed happy about it. Ainsley dismissed everyone and Keith cornered me before I could even leave the classroom.

"So, what are you up to now," he asked shyly.

"I was planning on going up to my dormitory to sleep. I was up all night last night," I replied apologetically.

He furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"Sirius was in the Hospital Wing. I was waiting for him to wake up with James, but James fell asleep. I stayed awake for a little bit talking to Sirius before I fell asleep. It was really late though. I though I saw the sun rising before I went to bed," I replied.

"Oh, that's all right. See you around I guess," Keith said before leaving.

I felt bad, but I was exhausted. I couldn't have spent time with Keith for a million galleons. The only two people who would be calm enough for me to hang out with were Remus and Mary, but I would fall asleep and feel bad.

Sirius was waiting for me outside the classroom. "Was he giving you trouble? Harassing you or anything?"

I sighed. "No, Sirius."

He stuck his tongue out at me.

"So, where are you off to," I asked casually.

"I'm going to try to find Sarah before dinner. What about you," he asked.

"Probably going to sleep. I think I might just skip dinner tonight. Not all of us got the amount of sleep you did," I replied.

"You can't skip dinner! It's the best time of the day. We all get together and swap stories about our days," Sirius exclaimed.

"You sound like Marlene and Alice."

"That's the point."

We continued walking together until Sirius spotted Sarah walking towards the library and headed after her. We said goodbye to each other, but I stood in the hallway for a couple of minutes too long and watched Sirius chase after Sarah. The pang in my heart returned. It was then that I knew it was certain.

I could hardly stand being just friends with Sirius.

* * *

Long chapter. Do you guys forgive meeeeeeeeee? I could go into so much detail about why I haven't updated since May, but I'll make the long story short. I had writer's block and then my computer broke. I'm not even on my own computer right now. I'm borrowing my Papa's laptop until I get a new computer.

The lyrics are something I did with my story Move Along. I think I'll try it for this story and see how it works out. This chapter is really just there to strengthen Sophie and Sirius' friendship. There'll be no more Sophie thinking she doesn't like Sirius anymore. She's one hundred percent certain that she likes Sirius.


	11. Fight

"_You won't admit you love me.  
__And so,  
__How am I ever to know?  
__You only tell me:  
__Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps"_

-Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps by Cake

* * *

"Honestly, Sophie, that's not attractive at all," Marlene laughed, offering a sympathetic smile.

I lifted my head up from the breakfast table and let out a yawn. I stretched my arms out and tried to ease the soreness in my body. I hadn't gotten much sleep at all the night before. Every time I tried to sleep, I had a reoccurring nightmare.

"What?"

Marlene reached over the table and pulled something out of my hair. It was a piece of egg.

"I'm pretty sure there are bacon bits somewhere in there too."

I groaned and collapsed my face into my hands. "I couldn't sleep last night. I had the worst dream."

Marlene raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"Well, I was in the Forbidden Forest- don't ask why because I'm not even sure why. I was just walking around like it was something normal. Suddenly, I trip over something. I look back and there's a dead body! Not just any dead body, but _Lily's_! Then as I get up, I loose my balance and tumble into a hole and land on the corpses of James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. As soon as I climb out of the hole I see you, Alice, and Mary hung by your necks to trees. It was dreadful," I shuddered.

Marlene made a face. "That's…really morbid actually. In fact, I'm suddenly worried to be sitting here alone with you."

"This isn't funny, Marlene! It kept me up all night… I think I got an hour of sleep at most," I whined.

"All right, all right. What do you think brought the dreams on," she asked.

"I have no idea. They just happened," I shrugged.

"I believe that I can offer a diagnosis," James announced, taking a seat next to me and stuffing his face with a piece of toast.

"Ever hear of manners, Potter," I scoffed.

"I could ask you the same thing, bacon-girl," James retorted with a grin, picking a piece of bacon from my hair before popping it into his mouth.

I stuck my tongue out. "That was gross."

"Food is food, but back to what you ladies were discussing earlier, I know exactly why you're having those nightmares."

"And?" Marlene asked expectantly.

"Seeing Sirius that beat up scared the shit out of you. Isn't it obvious," James said, looking at me as if I were an idiot.

"You know, James, I think that for once you might actually be making sense," I replied, biting my lip.

He nodded with a triumphant smirk. "Hey…wait a second!"

"Have to go," I said with a smile. I stood up abruptly and snatched his apple from his hand before he took a bite.

As I skipped out of the Great Hall, I heard James mumble "she always does that" to Marlene.

* * *

The more I thought about Keith, the more I found that he reminded me of a certain Remus Lupin, except not nearly as comfortable around me. And that sort of irritated me. At the same time, I found myself wanting to spend more time with him; I figured it was purely for the reason that he reminded me so much of Remus, and I missed my friend.

"What are the ingredients for the Polyjuice potion," I asked Keith, my quill inched slightly above my parchment.

Keith rolled his eyes at me. "You can't just copy my homework. Besides, you should know this by now."

"Well, I don't so are you going to help me or not," I asked with a raised eyebrow and my best glare.

"No."

I groaned in frustration and tried to remember what Slughorn had already told us. That's why Keith wasn't Remus; he had no qualms about telling me no. Thinking about it, I much preferred the original.

"How many paragraphs was this supposed to be," Keith asked.

I smirked. "I can't just _give _you the answers. That would be _wrong_."

"Real funny, Soph, now how many?"

I smiled and pretended to zip my lips, shrugging my shoulders.

He glared at me. "Well, we've done homework for long enough anyways. I don't think I can stand to bring my quill to a piece of parchment until tomorrow."

"You're a Ravenclaw. In an hour or so you'll be writing a Transfiguration essay."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Stereotypes. If they were all true, you'd be sneaking out of our common room tonight to go on a kitchen raid with Potter and Black."

I blinked at him dubiously before speaking slowly, "But that's what I _am_ doing tonight."

"You're not helping the cause."

"I never tried to in the first place."

Keith only looked at me in amusement before shaking his head and looking away. He smile suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a rather serious look. He leaned forward across the table, and I found myself leaning forward as well.

"I've talked to John about this and got his blessing, so I figure that it's okay to ask you about it now," Keith said quietly.

I found my breath caught in my throat. Was he asking me what I thought he was asking me?

"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me on the next visit… Not just as friends, but maybe as a date," he asked hopefully.

* * *

"Well, someone is unnaturally quiet tonight," James teased from underneath the invisibility cloak.

"I have my reasons." It was times like those that I wished that Remus wasn't a prefect and had issues with sneaking out at night. His moral support was always greatly appreciated.

"Now, Sophie," Sirius admonished, "if you're going to sulk the entire time without giving us an explanation, you'll have to march back up to the common room without the cloak to hide you."

"Bug off, Sirius," I muttered.

He raised an eyebrow. "This conversation isn't over missy. We'll be finishing it once we reach the kitchens."

I rolled my eyes. Unfortunately, we reached the kitchens sooner than I had hoped, and James and Sirius being, well, James and Sirius, decided that they couldn't just let the issue go.

James went to hand me a brownie, but pulled it away right before I took it. "No explanation, no brownie. Simple as that. Right, Padfoot?"

Sirius grinned. "Simple as that, Prongs."

I placed my hands on my hips and stared them both down. "Listen, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dummer, you better give me that brownie and drop this issue before I make those nightmares I've been having actually happen."

"Tsk, tsk, Sophie. What would Moony and Evans think of your improper grammar," James teased.

Sirius, on the other hand, just frowned. "What nightmares?"

I bit my lip. "They're no big deal."

"Explain," Sirius demanded, crossing his arms across his chest- his way of showing me he wouldn't let the subject change.

I blew a piece of hair out of my face. "They're nothing to worry about. I've just been having these stupid dreams about me finding you, James, Remus, Peter, Mary, Lily, Marlene, and Alice dead in the Forbidden Forest. It's nothing to worry about."

"I reckon she started having them because of the number Snivellus did on you," James added.

"Why didn't you tell me," Sirius asked calmly.

"I told you already, they're just stupid nightmares. They're not important."

"Apparently they are if they've been keeping you up. If you told me, I might've been able to calm you down a bit! They're my fault after all."

"Don't you yell at me, Sirius Black," I warned, "And they're not your fault."

James, sensing the tension in the air, leaned towards me and offered the brownie. "Want it?"

I smiled lightly and took it from him. "Thanks."

"Now, I know you, and I know those nightmares were bugging you, but that's the reason you were so despondent earlier. Spill," James said.

"That's a big word for you, Prongs," Sirius grinned.

"I heard Evans use it the other day," James replied, smiling proudly.

I took a bite of the brownie. "Fine, but neither of you are allowed to comment, all right," I demanded.

"No promises," the said at the same time.

I sighed; it was the best I'd be able to get out of them.

"Keith asked me out."

"Keith Williams? The blonde Ravenclaw who was checking you out that day in potions," James asked incredulously.

"Yeah," I said back, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"No."

My head snapped in Sirius' direction. I could hear James groan, just anticipating another fight.

"What did you say?"

"I said no," Sirius responded coldly, "You can't go out with him."

"And just why not?"

"He's all wrong for you- too boring. You're the type of girl who needs someone more exciting," Sirius explained.

I laughed rather shrilly, "And who would that be?"

"I don't know," Sirius began in frustration, "just someone with more personality."

"Someone like you?"

"I didn't say that."

"It was implied."

We stood there, glaring at each other for longer than was necessary.

"You can't date him," Sirius said again, this time more demanding.

"You can't just tell me what to do, Sirius. I'm my own person. If I won't even let my own brother boss me around, why in Merlin's name would I let you?"

"Because I said so," he retorted.

"That's not a good enough reason."

"Fine then! How's this: I don't want you dating him," Sirius demanded.

"Stop telling me what to do! I'm going to do what I want no matter what you say, so just drop it, okay," I said, although it was more of a demand.

"Sophie-"

"Just shut up!" I screamed, stomping, rather childishly, towards the portrait entrance.

Just as I was about to climb out of the hole, I turned around, hoping to have the final word and add a flare of drama. "By the way, I haven't even given him an answer yet."

* * *

No real excuses this time. My laptop just likes to screw me over.

I think that I like this chapter a lot (mainly for the fight scene). When Sophie and Sirius go at it, they _really_ go at it. I have a weird issue with James saying "shit" in this chapter. It isn't out of place, is it?

Review, my loves.

PS. Pro Shoe Tiers, you should review and/or PM me because I haven't heard from you in a really long time.


	12. Now Two People Are Mad At Meeeeeeeeee

"Was that really necessary," I heard James ask.

I had slipped back towards the kitchen. On my way back to the common room, I realized that I had forgotten the password. I wouldn't be able to get in without one of the boys telling me.

"Of course it was! You know that you do the same exact thing with Evans every time she gets a new boyfriend. The only difference is that I'm not doing because I'm in love with Sophie." The reply sort of stung.

"But Evans and me… We're different. Our relationship, if you can even call it that, isn't anywhere similar to yours and Sophie's. You and Sophie actually _get along_. It takes all of Evans' self control not to mangle me," James answered.

"Prongs, you know just as well as I do that that Keith guy is all wrong for her," I heard Sirius grunt. Then it almost sounded like he kicked something.

"We have to let her figure it out for herself. No matter how much I object to that relationship, it's up to her to make her own mistakes."

"Who are you and what have you done with James Potter? That was too mature to have come from the real James."

James shuddered. "Moony must be rubbing off on me."

The conversation sounded like it was ending, but I didn't want them to know that I overheard them. I ran all the way up to the seventh floor and sat by the Fat Lady's portrait to wait for them.

* * *

I offered to be Keith's partner the next day in potions. I knew that it startled him and things were awkward for the first ten minutes, but he eventually calmed down and we fell into our familiar pattern.

Until I decided to bring up the date proposition.

"So, I've been thinking about what you asked me yesterday," I said quietly, running my finger across the line in the potion book.

I saw him stiffen next to me. He even cringed and looked away so I couldn't see the pink taint his cheeks. "It was stupid…Just forget about it."

I half smiled. "No. I've already made my decision, and I'd like to go."

"It's fine. You don't have to feel bad for me or anything. I know that you really like Sirius and you're just being nice. It's sweet, but I don't want you to go with me out of pity," Keith replied, offering a small smile.

I scowled. "Why does everything always have to end back with Sirius? Why can't I just do something because I want to do it? I_ want_ to go on a date with you to Hogsmeade. How hard is it to grasp that concept? You're a _Ravenclaw_ for Merlin's sake!"

He blinked at me. "Well, I guess if you insist…but I'm definitely not forcing or pressuring you into it, right?"

"Not at all."

"Okay. That's all I needed to know."

Class ended not too long after that, and I made my way up the common room. Potions was my last class of the day; I wanted to get some thinking done before I headed down for dinner. I wasn't expecting my older brother to wait for my on the couch by the fire.

"Did you give him an answer yet?"

I put my bag down and collapsed next to him. "How did you know that I hadn't given him an answer yet?"

"I asked first."

"I said yes. Now your turn," I replied, trying my best to keep my face neutral.

"Because I know your friends, especially Alice. If you had already given an answer, the entire school would know by now. We all know about your fight with Sirius though. The house elves don't know _how_ to keep a secret," John chuckled.

"I never knew that my personal life was so interesting," I muttered.

"People just like to talk, and you're awfully good at fueling their fire," John shot back nonchalantly.

"What exactly was the fight about? There are several variations floating around the school."

I rolled my eyes. "_Great_. That's just what I need- lies about me floating around the castle."

"My favorite is that he caught you writing a love note to Regulus," he said, grinning like a fox.

I picked up a pillow and shoved it in his face. "No one would believe that. It's too…out there."

"I know. That's why it's my favorite. Talk about your forbidden romances…"

I grimaced. "If I ever fall in love with Regulus Black, please don't refrain from hitting me over the head numerous times. And maybe a couple hexes or jinxes would help knock some sense into me."

"Noted," he chuckled.

"He tried to tell me what to do. He said I couldn't date Keith when I hadn't even made a decision yet. He doesn't have control over me; Sirius can't just tell me what to do," I explained indignantly.

"You two are worse than mum and dad… Honestly, you two never fought until this year."

"Sirius is just a jerk this year," I huffed.

"It takes two to tango, dear sister," he retorted.

"I don't appreciate your implications, dear brother."

Before he could speak, I heard someone shriek my name. My eyes averted to the side, and I caught sight of a red-faced Alice. She was stomping over, her hands closed so tight that her knuckles almost seemed to turn completely white. Her lips were pursed and if looks could kill, I'd have been murdered by now.

"Sophie. Coil. What is your _deal_," she demanded, stopping abruptly in front of me, her hand on her hip. The scowl on her face made me cringe.

"Excuse me? I wasn't the one who just stomped in here throwing a hissy fit," I shot back.

"Why are you and Sirius always fighting? It's ridiculous! And it's all about that stupid Ravenclaw that doesn't mean anything to you. You're just going out with him to piss off Sirius."

My eyes narrowed. "How do you know I said yes? I only just agreed in potions."

"News travels fast. And I'm not stupid; I can put two and two together," Alice replied.

"Well, my business is my business. You don't have to worry about it unless I'm asking for your advice. You don't see Lily up hear screaming in my face."

Alice shifted uncomfortable under my gaze. "Listen, I don't want to fight with you. It's just…you're not allowed to fight with Sirius; you two are like the 'perfect couple' that everyone dreams about being. It's been my mission to get you two together. You're just not allowed to fight with him."

I don't know why exactly I snapped. I knew that Alice didn't want to fight with me; she had just said it. Most likely it was her telling me what I wasn't allowed to do, but I just lost it. I shot up from my seat on the couch and stood face to face with her.

"Why does everyone suddenly think that they can tell me what to do? I belong to myself, so just _back off, _Alice. I don't need to take this from you too."

Alice glared at me before turning on her heel and walking indignantly out of the room, her nose high in the air. I pouted and fell back on the couch and blew a piece of hair out of my face. I could practically feel John's disapproving glare boring holes into my head.

"Now two people are mad at me," I whined, throwing my head against the back of the couch. "Wait- you're not mad at me too, are you?"

"Disappointed."

"That's even worse," I pouted.

-x-

It was cold in Hogsmeade. And I don't mean 'oh, I'll just put on my scarf' cold. I mean 'Merlin's beard, where did I put my scarf, hat, and gloves'. It was _cold_.

Luckily, I managed to find all of the aforementioned items and was, therefore, not freezing my behind off. Keith, however, underestimated the wrath of Mother Nature. He was only armed with a scarf.

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one," I teased.

"You're not funny," he pouted, "Let's go inside somewhere. I need to warm up."

'The Three Broomsticks is right there; we can just go in there for a while. This way you can stay warm, and I can keep my stomach from eating itself," I suggested, grinning slightly.

"Sounds like a plan," Keith replied. I couldn't help but laugh at him. He was trying so hard to appear manly and not shiver from the cold. My heart went out to him; it took some guts to bear that kind of weather.

We entered the familiar restaurant. Immediately, I was overwhelmed by the naturally friendly atmosphere, aroma of the food, and embraces from Madame Rosmerta. She led us to a small table in what seemed like the middle of the room.

We sat down, and that's when I saw him and her…

Of course, Sirius and Sarah would be at The Three Broomsticks at the same exact time as us.

* * *

Cliff hanger much?

On another note, for those of you who found this story through my Lily/James story, Move Along, I've decided to write a sequel. For those who haven't read it, it's my version of how Lily and James ended up together. It completely spawned this story.

Next chapter, you can expect lots of tension and glaring. And foot stomping. Yes, there will be foot stomping. And yes, I know that this chapter sucks a lot.


	13. Heels Over Head

_"Yeah, I'm the first to fall  
The last know  
Where'd you go?"  
-Heels over Head by Girls Like Boys _

"Fancy meeting you two here," Sirius said nonchalantly, taking a seat a seat directly across from me. He had insisted that Madame Rosmerta seat Keith and I with him and Sarah.

"Guess it was just one of life's unexpected surprises," I replied, trying not to roll my eyes. Keith was sitting rigidly next to me; he was so uncomfortable. I felt terrible for him.

I'm guessing the glaring wasn't helping. I was shooting daggers back and forth between Sirius and Sarah. If looks could kill, Sarah would've already been responsible for my death. And Sirius, well, the looks he was shooting Keith were normal. He always looked like he wanted to kill him.

"So," Sarah began, "how has your day been so far?"

I plastered on the most pleasant fake smile I could muster. "Lovely, albeit cold. Yours?"

"Fantastic. Sirius has been taking me to his favorite spots all over Hogsmeade. He's so sweet and romantic," she gushed, pecking Sirius on the cheek for affect.

"Cute," I replied, wrinkling my nose. She was dangling him in front of me.

"I don't get why we had to take that stupid trap door in Honeydukes though. It was pointless," she sniffed.

"It's all part of the adventure," Sirius retorted.

"No matter how unsettling the statue is," I added, grinning at him. He returned it instantly.

"But that humpback is..."

"Creepy," I supplied.

"Exactly."

"Oh good. You two aren't fighting anymore," Keith said, grinning happily.

I twitched; I had forgotten that I was mad at Sirius. My mouth formed a firm line, and my jaw set sternly. He wouldn't be getting off so easily. Not this time.

"Thanks for reminding me, Keith," I said quickly, flashing Sirius a look.

I saw Sirius shoot Keith a glare while he thought I wasn't looking. The dirty looks lasted the rest of the visit.

* * *

"He hates me," Keith moaned as we trudged out of The Three Broomsticks.

I smiled half heartedly. "He doesn't _hate_ you, per se. He just…doesn't like you very much. Okay, well, I guess he hates you. But it's a pointless hatred, and it doesn't even matter because _I_ don't hate you. In fact, I rather like you."

"He's not going to make this very easy for me, is he," Keith asked, blushing at my last comment.

"Probably not," I admitted, "That only means that you'll have to work twice as hard."

I felt his hand sneak next to mine, and he intertwined our fingers. I bit my lip, fighting my grin from becoming too prominent. It felt nice to be so loved.

"I don't think that'll be an issue…I just wish I knew why Sirius dislikes me so much."

I stood up on my tippy toes and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "When I find out, you'll be the first to know."

* * *

I collapsed on the couch in the common room, curling up in a ball. I was still cold from being outside for so long, and the fire burning seemed like the best thing in the world to me. My knees were drawn to my chin, and my head rested against the back of the couch, my eyes shut tightly.

I felt the couch shift beside me. I didn't even need to open my eyes to know who was sitting there.

"Hello."

"Hi," Sirius replied.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well," he began, "besides the fact that I too am a Gryffindor and this is also my common room, I came to see you."

"For what? To tell me how wrong Keith is for me so we can fight over it again? I'm so, so sick of arguing with you all of the time. I don't want to deal with anymore," I snapped, refusing to open my eyes. I knew there were tears of frustration clouding my eyes; I'd never let him see me cry.

"Yes…and no." I could hear the hesitation in his voice, and that was the only reason I decided to hear him out.

I took a deep breath, evened my breathing, blinked away the tears, and hoped my voice wouldn't break before I replied, "What then?"

"The way I see things, and this may seem really strange coming from me of all people, everyone has a soul mate, someone they belong with, whether or not they ever meet. Some people just…belong together," Sirius started, struggling for words, "You and Keith don't mesh."

"You think I don't know that," I replied, my voice cracking. "We didn't even kiss at the end of the date. I kissed his cheek, and you know what I felt? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even a spark and it completely killed me because I _want_ there to be something so, so bad. I was to belong with him, but that peck on the cheek was nothing compared to any other kiss I've ever had."

I knew there were tears in my eyes again. Hormones sucked.

Sirius slung his arm around me and pulled me against his chest. "I know. I know exactly how you feel."

"But that's the thing, you don't even care! You'll stay with Sarah even though both of you are just wasting your time; I want to stay with Keith because I know that he's good for me. I _should_ like him romantically, but I just don't. I've already had the best kiss I'll ever have, and nothing will ever live up to it."

"Stop crying," he whispered, "I don't know how to deal with crying girls."

I stomped on his foot. "It's your own damn fault, prat."

"What was that perfect kiss like?"

"Exactly that…perfect. It gave me chills and electrified me at the same time, which I'm not even sure is possible. It was that amazing, slow type of kiss that makes your heart flutter, and-"

I didn't even get to finish my sentence before Sirius' lips came crashing against my own. And it was the same as that day on my birthday. Except longer and mutual.

And we were both completely sober.

My hand instinctively flew to the back of his head, my finger running through his hair. Sirius' hand rested on my hip. Our bodies shifted so that I was almost hovering over him. I could feel Sirius pulling me closer.

I pulled away for air; then realized what I was doing. "Stop it."

Sirius looked up at me, brow furrowed. "What are you doing? I thought you wanted this."

"You have a girlfriend, idiot, and Keith is practically my boyfriend. You can't just _do_ that type of stuff to me. I can't wait for you forever, Sirius. I've liked you all year and you wait until we're both bloody taken until you do something about it? What is wrong with you," I yelled.

"What's wrong with _me_? You're not exactly innocent in this either," Sirius accused.

"But I didn't initiate it, and I stopped it. My life can't just stop whenever you want it to. My world doesn't revolve around you," I said quietly.

"It should."

"We're never going to mention this to anyone. Got it? I can't even imagine how devastated Keith would be if he found out."

"This isn't over, you know," Sirius warned.

"It's over when I say it's over, Sirius, and, honestly, I want no part of any of this."

That might've been the best lie I ever told.

* * *

The drama. This one is rather short, but I figured the kissing scene might've made up for it? Kind of? Maybe?

This is the turning point of the story. Everyone's cards are on the table. Sirius knows that Sophie likes him; Sirius has made it clear that he seems to reciprocate the feelings. They become very, for lack of better words, flawed characters after this chapter.

Expect lots of making out. I'll try to keep it tasteful. Reviews make me happy, so I think you should leave one.


	14. Lie To Me

If you ever need a place to make out on short notice, take an empty classroom. They're the best.

No one is ever there, they're spacey, there are plenty of things to rest on, and there's something about it being so forbidden that just makes the whole thing better. That's where I was. Sitting on a desk. In the Transfiguration class room. My hands running through hair. Sirius Black's lips crashed again mine.

I pulled away. "We're going to be late for class."

"Since when do you care about classes," he asked, pulling me back.

"What if McGonagall has a class? They might walk in," I mumbled against his lips.

"Who cares?"

"We should. I have a boyfriend. You have a girlfriend. We're cheating on them. This isn't good. We aren't _good_ people," I argued.

Sirius pulled away from me and put his palms on either side of my face, smoothing my curls away. "You're a good person, Soph. I know better than anyone else."

"But I'm cheating. And you're cheating."

"I'll break up with Sarah," he offered.

I bit my lip. "I can't ask you to do that. I'm not even breaking up with Keith. I could never ask you to do what I can't."

"But I would. All you have to do is say the word, and we'll be over. I promise," he whispered.

"I can't handle this right now," I replied, hopping off the desk and heading towards the door. "Wait ten more minutes until you get to class. I don't want anyone to suspect something."

I left the room, shutting the door tightly behind me. I fell back against the door, closing my eyes. I could feel the tears welling up in them. Behind the door, I heard a bang and Sirius let out a cry of frustration.

There was no way I could continue going on like that. But I wanted to.

* * *

"Are you okay," Remus asked me.

We were sitting at our usual table in the library. I had a blank piece of parchment in front of me and was fiddling with a quill. Remus, on the other hand, had several filled parchments, empty and filled ink bottles, an a few books open.

"I'm just bored," I brushed off.

Remus sighed and put down his quill. "Liar. Tell me what's really wrong."

"Remus," I began hesitantly, "am I a bad person? Be honest. I really need to know. It's important to me."

He immediately frowned. "Of course not. Why would you even think that? Did someone tell you that you are?"

"I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone or hate me. Promise?"

"I promise."

I sighed. "All right. Well, I'm cheating on Keith. With Sirius."

Silence.

"Say something. Please?"

"What do you want me to say, Sophie? I'm sure that you've already said everything that I'd tell you to yourself. It's almost like you want me to yell at you," he said softly.

"Just say something. I don't like the quiet because then I can think, and all I think about is how terrible I am," I replied.

"If it's bothering you so much, then just stop it. It's that easy," Remus said.

My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes filled with tears. I was going to cry. "I've tried, Remus, I really have. I just can't…I think I'm in love with him."

Then the tears fell. They rolled down my cheeks, leaving the tear stains behind them. I sniffed and hid my face in hands. I heard Remus jump out of his chair and sit in the empty one next to me.

"Shh, Sophie, don't cry. It'll be okay, just don't cry," Remus whispered, rubbing circles in my back.

"I'm just so sick of everything. I'm sick of crying. I'm sick of lying. I'm sick of pretending. I'm just sick of my life," I mumbled.

"I wish I could say that it gets easier, but I don't want to lie to you," Remus said.

"Lie to me," I pleaded.

I sat up and Remus pulled me into a hug. "All right, Sophie. Everything just gets easier from here on out. One day, you're going to wake up, and you'll know exactly who you want to be with. No one's heart will be broken, and everyone will be happy. You're never going to have to cry over this again."

I buried my face in his shoulder. "Thank you, Remus. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he replied. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, but I really wish I did. When I figure it out, you'll be the first to know," I said quietly.

"Just…do something about it soon please. I don't want to see you any more hurt than you already are, and these things just lead to everyone involved being heartbroken," Remus pleaded.

"I'll try."

* * *

"What's wrong with her," I whispered to Mary.

"I dunno," Mary supplied.

"Really helpful, Mary."

Sarah Summers was sitting with her friends on the grass near the lake, crying waterfalls. Her friends were seated on either side of her, holding her hands.

"Sirius broke up with her," Marlene answered from behind us. Lily was trailing behind her.

I raised my eyebrows, genuinely surprised. I hadn't told him to do it; he shouldn't have. "He did?"

"Yeah."

I looked back at her. I could practically imagine the words of comfort her friends were telling her. 'He's not good enough for you.' 'He was just a player anyway.' 'Don't worry; there are plenty of other better guys for you.'

I felt guilty knowing that it was my fault.

"I can't imagine why. They seemed so happy," Mary replied.

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "He's Sirius Black. He doesn't stay with a girl very long; we all know it. I don't know why you guys are acting so surprised. He probably just found some other girl that he won't stay with for more than a couple of weeks."

I bit my lip, letting Lily's words sink in. It stung; it really did. I wanted to believe that I was different. We were friends before this; he would never hurt me. But Lily was right. He'd never change, and I probably knew that more than anyone else in the world. Why would he change for me?

What made me think I was any different? Lily was right. Everything was just a fling to him. Things were already bad enough between us. We didn't need a failed relationship too. Besides Lily, he was my best friend. I didn't want to ruin everything, but I knew I was in love with him.

But was e in love with me? Would he stay with me, or would I be just another girlfriend? How could I even tell? I'd seen him reassure so many girls; I knew all his tricks. I shouldn't have been able to fall for them, but what if I was?

"Sophie?"

I snapped back to reality. Marlene's hand was waving in my face. "Yeah?"

"You blanked out. We were talking about how you won't have to deal with Sarah anymore. Everyone knows how much she hates you," Marlene replied.

"I'd bet money that she blames the breakup on you," Lily added.

'And she'd be right' I thought.

"Probably," I laughed, "but it obviously wasn't my fault. It's not like I told him to break up with her or anything. We're not even dating, despite what she may think."

"She's delusional," Mary giggled.

"Yeah," I agreed.

I couldn't bring myself to look behind me. Sarah Summers was completely crying her eyes out over Sirius Black, and it was my entire fault.

* * *

Happy Valentine's Day! Here, have some angst.


	15. Of Bumblebees, Devils, and Batman

It's really hard to look at yourself in the mirror when you know that you just caused someone that much heartbreak not too long ago. How do I live with myself? I'm a home-wrecker. I was the other woman. That's everything I've aspired not to be. I'm a terrible person.

"Sophie, are you okay? You've just been staring into the mirror for the past ten minutes," Mary said cautiously.

I blinked dubiously. "Wha-? Sorry, I was just thinking about tomorrow."

"I know! It's going to be so exciting. I can't wait until we get our costumes. Halloween at Hogwarts is the best," Alice gushed, eyes lit up.

Alice, Lily, Mary, Marlene, and I were going to Hogsmeade to pick out costumes. The marauders were throwing a Halloween party tomorrow in the common room. It wasn't exactly a normal party either. James and Sirius worked out this deal with the Fat Lady that if anyone from any other house had a special password, they could enter for the party. The very thought made Lily and Remus crawl in their skin.

"Do you want to start heading down now? I'm bored," I said, walking away from the mirror.

"Sure."

We walked into the common room to find Lily and James arguing, but what else was new?

"For the last time, Potter, you cannot pick out my costume! I don't want to walk around looking like some lady of the night!"

James's eyebrows shot up. "Lady of the night? Who even uses that term anymore?"

"Evans does," Sirius snickered.

"Stay out of this, you," I admonished, slapping his arm. "Don't make me beat you up."

He raised an eyebrow before throwing his head back and laughing at me. "Okay."

My eyes shifted back to Lily and James. Alice was pulling Lily towards the portrait hole while Lily let out a string of curse words. James just stood there laughing at her. I started for the portrait.

"C'mon, Lil, stupid ol' James isn't important anyway."

* * *

"I don't get half of these costumes," I said, looking around the costume shop. Only about half of them made sense to me.

"That's because some of them are muggle-inspired. It's muggle pop culture. Like this, for example," Lily said, holding a blue and white checkered dress up against her. She was wearing a pair of sparkling red shoes. "This was the outfit the character Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz wore. It's basically universally known.

"Never heard of it."

"Are the boys coming now," Marlene asked, poking her head out of one of the dressing rooms. She had several costumes in there with her.

Mary, who flipping through a section labeled 'Disney', answered her. "No. They went to the Three Broomsticks. They'll be here after they go to Zonko's though."

"Okay, what do you guys think?"

Alice stepped out of the dressing room next to Marlene's in a black dress with a black witch's hat on. The hat had an orange trimming, and the dress had orange lace along the neckline.

"Brilliant," I declared with exuberance, "a stereotypical witch."

"I love it," Lily laughed.

Alice smiled triumphantly. "I'm getting it. Your turn, Marlene."

Marlene pulled back the curtain to reveal a pink dress. It was lighter along the sleeves and a jagged design on the waist. The neck line was a drastic white v-shape. She had a golden tiara in her blonde hair.

"Who're you supposed to be?"

"Sleeping Beauty. It's a movie I used to watch all the time when I was younger."

Alice handed me striped dress. The torso was striped yellow and black with a black skirt only a bit shorter than that of my uniform. It came with a pair of striped yellow and black knee high socks. It even had these cute little wings. "You can be a bumble bee! It's adorable."

I looked at her skeptically. "Fine."

"How do I look?" Mary asked, wearing a blue dress. It had a white apron and white tights. I knew this one.

"You're Alice in Wonderland!" I exclaimed, proud of myself.

"I think you look very cute, Mary," Lily yelled over from the counter.

I joined her in line, not bothering to try on my costume. "Are you buying that costume you showed me earlier?"

"Dorothy? Yeah."

I approached the counter and dropped what Alice handed me onto it. I squinted at the cashier's nametag. "Hello, Rory."

"Hi, um, sorry, didn't catch your name?"

"Sophie."

"Hello, Sophie."

Rory was adorable in the way that Remus was adorable. He was a bit lanky with a geeky look. His hair was mousy brown with green eyes. Rory was very awkward and cute.

"Do you run this shop all by yourself?"

A small smile played on his lips. "No. You see that pretty red-head over there in the 'Television' section?"

"Yeah. The one playing with the rainbow scarf?"

"That's my fiancée, Amy. We run the shop together," Rory replied, a dreamy look in his eyes while he gazed at Amy.

I smiled genuinely at him. "That's really cute. I hope you two stay together forever."

"We will. I have a lot of faith in us."

I handed him the money, and he gave me my bag. I stood to the side with Lily, waiting for the others to pay.

* * *

"What on Earth are you wearing, Moony?" James and Sirius roared with laughter at Remus.

Remus was standing in the middle of the common room, red in the face. He was wearing a maroon jacket over a plaid shirt and jeans. He had a gray hat and the scarf that Amy had in the store was wrapped around his neck.

"Remus, who are you supposed to be," I asked cautiously.

James lifted one of the ends of the scarf. "Cleary someone who has escaped from the loony bin in St. Mungo's."

"Shut up," Remus mumbled, pulling the scarf away from James. "I'm The Doctor from Doctor Who. It's a muggle television show."

"I think you look adorable," Lily commented. "And that show is brilliant."

"Speaking of brilliant things, you look rather brilliant, Evans," James said, trying to rest an arm on Lily's shoulders. She elbowed him in the stomach.

"I'm Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz," Lily said proudly, teetering in her sparkly heels.

"You're outfit is very…fitting," I commented, flicking one of the devil horns on Sirius' head.

"You like it? I thought it was more than appropriate. And you are…a bumblebee?" he asked, giving me a once over.

"Alice picked it out."

"So, James, why aren't you dressed up?" Alice asked.

He wasn't. James was wearing his normal school uniform. "I am in costume, though! I'm a werewolf!"

"Are werewolves more wolf-like?" Marlene inquired.

"Well, is tonight a full moon," James retorted.

"No," Remus replied quickly.

"I'm just a werewolf before the transformation. Duh," he said, sticking his tongue out at Marlene. She returned the gesture.

"Where's Frank," Alice asked, peering around the room.

"Probably still trying to get his costume right. He's awfully into this whole Halloween thing. He's a mummy this year," Peter explained. However, it came out rather muffled from the fangs in his mouth.

"So, who's coming tonight," Mary asked.

"Oh, just about everyone in the entire castle," Sirius replied with a smirk.

"Well, that's no pressure to have the best party ever in Hogwarts history."

"If there's one thing we know how to do," James said, getting the familiar mischievous glint in his eye, "it's to put on a show."

And they were right about two things. One: just about everyone and their mother showed up for the party, and two: they did know how to throw a party. A really, really great one.

"Hey," Keith greeted, handing me a cup of butterbeer. "They didn't spike it, did they?"

"Which bowl did you get it from?"

"The middle one?"

I shrugged and downed the glass.

"I take it that wasn't the spiked one then," he said, taking a sip of his own.

I smiled and held my hands behind my back. "They're all spiked. Really now, Keith, these are the marauders we're talking about. I'd expect more deductive skill from a Ravenclaw."

He spit out all of the butterbeer in a state of panic. "You could've told me, eh?"

"You would think. Anyway, first thing is first, you must be a muggle character I don't recognize. Explain yourself. Now."

"Well, I'm Batman."

I made a face, feeling the affects of the drink. "Who's Batman."

Keith made a face in return. "I'm Batman. Your argument has been rendered invalid."

I shrugged and grabbed his drink and taking a sip. "Good enough for me."

"Take it easy on the drinks. I really don't want to have to spend my night taking care of you. And I just know I will if you're walking around, stumbling drunk."

"Don't tell me what to do," I retorted, sticking my tongue out. "Get me another drink?"

I waited for Keith for what seemed like an hour (in reality it was about a minute in total) before wandering off to find Remus.

"Sophie, are you really this drunk already?" Remus asked.

"I may or may not have been playing it up a little. You know me better, Remus. I can hold more liquor than a girl my age should be able to," I said.

He smiled sympathetically. "Sadly, that's true."

"How many people have made fun of your scarf so far?"

"Too many."

"It's _really_ funny," Mary giggled from her spot on the couch.

I felt the couch shift with weight and turned to see Alice. "Are you okay? Your face is all flushed, and your lips are swollen… Who have you been making out with?"

Alice blushed. "No one. But you'll never guess who's here!"

"Who?"

"Sarah Summers! Sarah 'Sirius's ex-girlfriend' Summers," Alice exclaimed, "Thought you'd like to know." She hopped up from the couch and rushed away.

I peered over the back of the couch. "This conversation isn't over, Alice!"

"It's obviously Frank," Marlene said coolly, taking a sip of her drink.

"How do you know?"

"You haven't seen the googly eyes they've been making at each other? It's ridiculously obvious."

"Where's Lily?"

"Probably somewhere fending James off," Remus laughed.

"I'm going to go find her."

I walked around the common room before I found her in a secluded corner with Snape. They both looked angry and like they were yelling at each other.

"Then you shouldn't have come, Sev!"

"No, Lily, it's just upsetting to see you with him. We both know how he feels about you."

"Yeah, and I've made it perfectly clear that I don't return the feelings. I know he's a git, but you can't take it out on me! Or anyone who has nothing to do with it. Not everyone here is a jerk like Potter."

"Yes they are, Lily! You're friends are all a bunch of idiots."

"Whatever, Sev, just leave me alone for the night." Lily pushed off of the wall and stormed into the party, brushing past me without ever noticing me. Snape saw me, and I gave him a glare before taking off after Lily.

I never did find Lily among the groups of people until later on that night. I was intercepted by James just when I got her in sight.

"What happened to Lily," he demanded. My nose wrinkled at the smell of him. He was absolutely wasted.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. All I know is that she got in a fight with Snape."

James took a deep breath before sighing. He blinked slowly. "I'll kill him. Help me find Snivellus. I'll murder him, and we can hide him. They'll never find his body. I promise."

I bit my lip, weighing my options. Ultimately, I decided against it, realizing that James was both angry and drunk enough to carry out his plan. "How about we have a quick dance instead."

"Kill joy," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Have my drink. You'll loosen up a lot more, Soph."

I gulped the few sips left and almost choked. "You could've told me it was firewhiskey! My throat hurts."

"It's good for you. No more of that wimpy butterbeer for you, Coil. Now, how do I dance drunk whilst not making a fool of myself?"

"That's rather impossible, dear."

So we stood there, among the throngs of somewhat sober people who danced normally. We danced, but more wildly. There was a lot of hand shaking, and jumping, and twirling. And my hair may have whipped James in the face on more than one occasion. We were a drunken mess.

"Guess who I saw earlier," James slurred, having had another drink since we began dancing.

"Who?"

"Sarah Summers was strutting around _our_ common room in a pink princess dressed. Who does she think she is? You should fight her."

I smiled in amusement. "I don't think so."

"Some people are just not welcome here," he snorted, "Like Snivellus, for example."

"You should probably let that Snivellus thing go. It's best for everyone involved. Besides, you just know that Lily will take all of her anger at Snape out on you."

"It might be worth it."

"It isn't. Tell you what," I began, "If I have a fight with Sarah, I give you permission to start stuff with Snape. Deal?"

James shook my hand. "Deal."

My head began to spin. "I'm going to sit down. I don't feel good. Probably too much to drink, so I'll see you later."

I collapsed on the loveseat by myself. No one was sitting on the couches besides me. It was nice. At least, it was for a second before I felt the arm around my shoulder and smelt the firewhiskey.

"How are you this lovely evening, my Sophie?" Sirius asked, "I'm having a remarkable time."

"My night has been going pretty well. I even got Keith to drink. Of course, he didn't know he was drinking."

Sirius groaned. "Let's not talk about Keith. He's boring, and we're both smashed. We don't want boring. We want exiting, like dancing!" He tried to drag me away from the couch.

"I am _not _moving. I jus danced with James. We can sit here and talk or you can leave."

Sirius collapsed back onto the loveseat next to me. I fell against him, resting my head on his shoulder. "I'm tired."

"You are not falling asleep, Sophie! The night is still young. Much mischief is still to be had," Sirius whined, shoving me away from him.

"I can go to sleep if I want," I murmured, curling into a ball.

Sirius pulled me into his lap. "Don't curl up like that. Your skirt isn't that short, but I'd rather you didn't sit like that. I like this better."

I felt his hands snake around my waist, and despite my better judgment, I didn't push him away. "Keith is here. He might see."

"Oh, who cares? I don't. Wanna snog?"

I was drunk, sitting in Sirius Black's lap on Halloween with my boyfriend wandering around somewhere looking for me. "No. I really don't."

"Sophie, don't make me pull a James and start stalking your life, because I will if you make me."

I climbed off of his lap and fell onto the floor. "You can tell that I'm more than drunk right now. It would be easy to snog you and blame the alcohol—claim that I didn't know what I was doing, and it'd be okay, but it isn't. I do know what I'm doing, and I'll -remember this is in the morning, so I'm stopping it—taking control of the situation. It's what Lily would do."

I managed to stand up and stumbled away. I didn't look back until I found Keith near the drinks. I jumped on him and planted a wet kiss on his lips. He pushed me away and looked at me in the eyes.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm drunk. Like, really drunk. I was with Sirius, and I want you to know that something could've happened, but it didn't, and I'm really proud of myself for stopping what could've happened."

"You were with Sirius," Keith asked, a frown creeping onto his face. Then, I realized that he smelt like an amalgamation of James and Sirius—drunk, drunk, drunk.

"Yeah, but nothing happened."

"I'm so sick of you always being with him. I'm your boyfriend. _We're_ supposed to be spending all of our time together. You're not supposed to be with another guy all the time, and I'm sick of it."

I stood up on my toes and glared. "Well then, maybe we shouldn't be together."

"Maybe we shouldn't," Keith muttered, putting his cup down onto the table. "I'm leaving."

He stormed out of the common room, leaving me standing by the table all by myself. My mouth hung agape. I couldn't believe that he acted like that. It was so unlike him, but I was drunk, so I only had one rational thought—_screw him_.

I ambled back over to the couch where Sirius was still sitting, dumfound. I fell back into his lap and grabbed hold of his shirt, pressing his lips to mine. I moved so we were more comfortable.

The kiss was sloppy, but hungry, and maybe even a little forced. We were both as wasted as could be, and a little high off of each other. I didn't realize until then how perfectly we fit together. We'd never had a kissing session that intense. Before, they were all so careful. I kissed, afraid we'd get caught. He'd kiss carefully, afraid that if he was too rough he'd break me. But not this time. We were a spectacle.

I wasn't trying to hide it. At that moment, I felt that the more people to see it, the better. And Sirius wasn't soft and gentle like he used to be—not that he was rough then. We fell on the couch so I was on top. My curls fell down on his face, grazing the tip of his nose.

"I'm cold," I said, climbing off.

"Here." He handed me his sweatshirt. Besides the horns he was wearing, it was the only red he had on.

I scrutinized him. "You're an awfully bad devil."

"Really? I thought I was pretty bad. I can even list off all of the sins from tonight: gluttony, greed, envy, pride, and lust. I've got almost all of my bases covered."

"I'm tired again," I sighed, leaning on his side, closing my eyes. It was hard to drown out all of the noise from the party. "What time is it?"

"Time for the party to be over."

He got up from the couch and climbed onto the table in the middle of the room and spoke into his wand. "Oi, all of you lot, it's about two in the morning, and I'd really hate to see all of you tomorrow without your beauty sleep. Now, pack up and get out of my common room before I have to use force."

"That was sweet," I murmured before yawning.

I thought the night was over. I'd be okay. I could just saunter up my stairs and fall asleep in my bed. Alas, my work is never done. The second I heard an obnoxious, loud, and drunk voice yell "Snivellus", I knew I'd have to stop a duel.

I rushed over to the portrait hole, pushing my way into the center. Lily, James, and Snape were standing in it. Both James and Snape had their wands out, pointed at each other. Lily stood off to the side, looking appalled at both of them.

"Both of you, wands away," I yelled. "What happened?"

"Lily and Snape got into another fight. James heard this time," Mary answered.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to talk to Evans like that before you get it, _Snivellus_? She's supposed to be your friend- the only and best. You don't treat your friends like that!"

"Potter, this isn't your business," Lily shrieked.

James' head whipped towards her. "Evans, please, I'm defending your honor."

She put her hand on her hips and pursed her lips. "I can defend my own honor, Potter. I don't need-"

"Stupefy!"

James fell to the floor in an instant, wand flying out of his hand. The room immediately fell silent, and Snape fled through the portrait hole. I felt my breath catch in my throat and eyes widen. By the time I gained control of myself, the marauders and Lily were already by James's side.

"Mother f-"

"Sophie, swearing isn't really helping right now. Help us move him," Remus yelled.

I nodded dumbly and rushed over, grabbing James's left leg. Peter had his right one while Remus and Sirius had either of his arms. We managed to swing him onto the couch.

"Bloody coward," Sirius roared, "attacking James while he wasn't paying attention. And then, you know what he does? Runs away! The bloody prat runs away!"

Peter flinched at Sirius yelling. "I know, Padfoot, I was there. Snivellus is a bloody coward."

"I'm going to _kill_ him. It's a promise. Don't mess with my mates," Sirius growled.

Lily just stared at James' unconscious body on the bed. She bit her lip and couldn't meet my eyes when she looked up. I knew that looked even when I was drunk—Lily felt guilty. She felt bad about the entire situation.

"It's not your fault," I whispered to her.

"I know," she replied with a weak smile.

We helped Sirius, Remus, and Peter carry James into their dormitory before retreating to ours. I collapsed onto my bed in between Alice and Lily's, not bothering to change or even take off my makeup. I just fell onto it, above the covers, wrapped up Sirius; sweatshirt, breathing in his scent.

* * *

This chapter is MASSIVE. I don't think that I've ever written a single chapter of a story that was this long. Do you want to know how many words this is? 3,468. That's ridiculous for me. It's basically my apology for not updating since Valentine's Day. I've been working a lot with original fiction, but I definitely want to finish this story. Sophie and Sirius are definitely important to me.

I wrote a couple notes that I wanted to address here while writing this, so here they are. Rory may seem pointless, but fans of the amazing show, Doctor Who, will recognize him. After the latest episode, this is my tribute to him. I love Rory very much. Excuse Sophie's emo-ness that may present itself around this time in the story. She does that sometimes. My last note was to defend the clothing descriptions. I generally hate it when authors describe clothes, but these were _Halloween costume._ Would you be able to resist it?

This is unBETA'ed, and it's late and I'm tired and just want this posted, so excuse any errors.

Reviews will give me inspiration to update sooner than four months next time!


	16. An Update of Sorts

Er, hi guys! I know it's been an awfully long time, but I actually reread this for the first time in a couple of years today... It always sort of irked me that I never finished it, and I've been debating picking it back up/revamping it (and perhaps the Jily story that spawned it in the first place).

I'm not even sure if any of the people who read this are still around, but would anyone be okay with/interested in a revamp of this story? I'd be sticking to the same basic plotline with improved characterizations and dialogue and just writing in general.


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